It’s easy to get excited about making fruit desserts when you are looking at a beautiful display of fresh, in-season fruit at your local grocery store or farmers’ market. Peaches have a lovely floral aroma and ripe plums smell as sweet as honey. Fortunately, there is no need to resist the temptation to stock up on fruit because there are all kinds of amazing dishes that you can bake with them. Pies and tarts are just a couple of options, but a classic cobbler is always an easy way to enjoy fruit in a dessert and this Plum and Peach Cobbler is a perfect example.
I used a mixture of fresh peaches and fresh plums in this cobbler. The flavors of the two stone fruits blend together beautifully, for a sweet and richly flavored filling. They also look absolutely beautiful together, with the bright yellow color of the peaches contrasting well with the darker red color in the plums. Most of the color in the plums comes from the skin of the fruit, so I recommend not peeling your plums before you use them. Plum skins are also quite delicate, so they don’t take away from the fruit itself when you’re eating the cobbler. The peaches, on the other hand, should be peeled before you add them to the filling.
When picking out fruit for the cobbler, choose fruits that are ripe but still slightly firm. Firmer plums and peaches will be easier to work with than very soft fruits, and they’ll hold their shape during baking without breaking down. Cut them into approximately equal slices – which means that plums should be quartered, while peaches can be cut into 6-8 slices, depending on the size of the fruit. I used about equal parts of plums and peaches, but you can always slant your cobbler filling towards one or the other, depending on how much fruit you have in your kitchen, or incorporate other fruits like nectarines or apricots.
Plum and Peach Cobbler 4 large, ripe peaches 5-6 ripe plums 2 tbsp sugar 1/2 tbsp cornstarch 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1/3 cup sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled 1/4 cup milk 1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350F. Peel peaches, remove pits and cut into 6-8 slices. Cut plums into quarters and remove pits. Place fruit into a large bowl and toss gently with 2 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tbsp cornstarch. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour in melted butter, milk and vanilla and stir with a fork until the dough comes together into a soft, slightly sticky dough. Arrange fruit in an even layer in a 9×9-inch square baking dish. Break up cobbler topping with your fingertips and spread it evenly over the fruit. It is fine if some pieces of fruit are still visible. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until topping is golden brown and fruit is tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Tent the cobbler with a piece of aluminum foil for the last 5 minutes if you feel your cobbler is too brown. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Not at all. The skin on plums is very thin and breaks down easily while cooking. You don’t need to peel plums when using for baking, roasting, jam, crumbles etc.
I have loads of plums which have gone quite soft and thought i would make them into a crumble. Do I need to peel the plums? and would they need cooking first? Any advice grateful only ever made apple before. Many thanks.
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Yummy! I just cut in half and take the stones out, but dont peel or pre-cook. Enjoy!
I used a mixture of fresh peaches and fresh plums in this cobbler. The flavors of the two stone fruits blend together beautifully, for a sweet and richly flavored filling. They also look absolutely beautiful together, with the bright yellow color of the peaches contrasting well with the darker red color in the plums. Most of the color in the plums comes from the skin of the fruit, so I recommend not peeling your plums before you use them. Plum skins are also quite delicate, so they don’t take away from the fruit itself when you’re eating the cobbler. The peaches, on the other hand, should be peeled before you add them to the filling.
When picking out fruit for the cobbler, choose fruits that are ripe but still slightly firm. Firmer plums and peaches will be easier to work with than very soft fruits, and they’ll hold their shape during baking without breaking down. Cut them into approximately equal slices – which means that plums should be quartered, while peaches can be cut into 6-8 slices, depending on the size of the fruit. I used about equal parts of plums and peaches, but you can always slant your cobbler filling towards one or the other, depending on how much fruit you have in your kitchen, or incorporate other fruits like nectarines or apricots.
It’s easy to get excited about making fruit desserts when you are looking at a beautiful display of fresh, in-season fruit at your local grocery store or farmers’ market. Peaches have a lovely floral aroma and ripe plums smell as sweet as honey. Fortunately, there is no need to resist the temptation to stock up on fruit because there are all kinds of amazing dishes that you can bake with them. Pies and tarts are just a couple of options, but a classic cobbler is always an easy way to enjoy fruit in a dessert and this Plum and Peach Cobbler is a perfect example.
Plum and Peach Cobbler 4 large, ripe peaches 5-6 ripe plums 2 tbsp sugar 1/2 tbsp cornstarch 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1/3 cup sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled 1/4 cup milk 1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350F. Peel peaches, remove pits and cut into 6-8 slices. Cut plums into quarters and remove pits. Place fruit into a large bowl and toss gently with 2 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tbsp cornstarch. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour in melted butter, milk and vanilla and stir with a fork until the dough comes together into a soft, slightly sticky dough. Arrange fruit in an even layer in a 9×9-inch square baking dish. Break up cobbler topping with your fingertips and spread it evenly over the fruit. It is fine if some pieces of fruit are still visible. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until topping is golden brown and fruit is tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Tent the cobbler with a piece of aluminum foil for the last 5 minutes if you feel your cobbler is too brown. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Cooking Tips : How to Pit Plums
FAQ
Should plums be peeled before baking?
Do you have to skin a plum?
How ripe should plums be for baking?
Do you remove skin from plums before making jam?
Do you need to Peel plums before baking?
No, plums have a thin, tender skin, so there’s no need to peel the fruit before baking. I honestly can’t think of a more perfect dessert for your next Sunday supper, family cookout, or casual gathering with friends!
Is prune a type of dried plum?
There are some types of plums in the world and it was from a French variety that the dried plum emerged. The plum has a firm pulp and a high sugar and acidity content, which allows the fruits to be dried with their cores intact, without fermentation. To produce prunes, they are left on the tree until they are fully ripe. Only then are they harvested and placed to dry between 15 and 24 hours under strictly controlled conditions. Prunes lose so much water in this process that to produce half a kilo of prunes, 1. 5 to 2 kilos of fresh prunes are needed. In the last stage, the plums are bathed in hot water to increase their moisture content and only then are they packaged for consumption.
Are plums ripe before baking?
There are many types of plums that can be used for a crumble, such as damson, greengage, Victoria, or purple plums. When choosing plums for a crumble, make sure they are ripe but still firm so that they will hold their shape during baking. Avoid using overripe plums as they will turn to mush when cooked. Do I need to peel plums before baking?
How do you peel a plum?
If you try to peel a plum by simply pulling back the skin, you’ll end up with a sticky mess on your hands. Instead, blanch the plums and then place them in an ice bath or trim the skin off with a knife. This simple techniques are quick, easy, and will leave you with delicious plum flesh. Boil a pot of water on the stovetop.