The Apple Diaries 2015 - Apple Cobbler

I have a lovely cookbook published by The National Trust entitled 'Good Old-Fashioned Puddings', by Sara Paston-Williams.  As you'd expect, it's full of wonderful-sounding puddings with intriguing names such as Hollygog Pudding, Whim-Wham, Flummery, Moonshine, Durham Fluffin' and Taffety Tart.  And as you'd also expect, there are many recipes that use fruit native to the UK, including of course lots of apple puds.  This recipe was in fact for a Damson Cobbler, but I simply substituted the same weight of apples, and used slightly less sugar with the fruit as damsons are very tart.  A cobbler is simply a fruit pudding with a scone-like topping, presumably named because the topping looks like cobblestones.

Fruit Cobbler

- Fruit Base
900g (2lb) damsons, apples, plums, rhubarb - take your pick
225g (9oz) caster sugar (this amount given for damsons, I used less for apples, simply add to taste)
150ml (1/4 pint) water (again, this is for damsons, I used less - maybe 50ml - for apples)

- Cobbler Topping
225g (8oz) self-raising flour
Pinch salt
25g (1oz) sugar
55g (2oz) butter
1 egg
1-2 tbsp milk
Graulated sugar for sprinkling

Wash fruit (peel/core apples) and cook slowly in a saucepan with the sugar and water until just tender.  At this point you could also add any other flavourings you like - I grated in some nutmeg as I love it with apples, but cinnamon or vanilla would also work.  Remove stones from damsons/plums if using.  Turn fruit into an overproof dish and leave to cool.

My able assistant chops the apples.

Mix flour, salt and sugar together in a mixing bowl, then rub in the butter.  Beat the egg then add to the mixture with enough milk to make a soft dough.  Roll out on a lightly floured board to about 1cm thick.  Cut dough into rounds with a 5cm cutter and arrange on the top of the fruit.  Depending on the size of your dish you might simply make a ring of overlapping scones, or you may cover it completely.  Brush the scone topping with a little milk and bake in a preheated oven at 220C for 10 mins.  Then reduce the oven temperature to 190C.  Sprinkle the top generously with granulated sugar and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until well risen and golden brown.