Fruit Cobbler

The biscuits for this cobbler are light and fluffy with the addition of yogurt--be sure to take a light touch when mixing the dough. My recipe is based on a cobbler biscuit from Cooks Illustrated. Use any fruit combination, such as peaches and tart cherries, to mix it up, as I suspect you'll be making this recipe often! Serve the cobbler with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, or as we do: just as it is.

Ingredients:

For The Fruit:
3-4 pounds nectarines and apricots, about 12 cups
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Juice of 1 small lemon
1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water
1/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

For The Biscuits:
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (1/4-inch or so)
2/3 cup plain, whole milk yogurt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar, to top the biscuits 

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Thickly slice the nectarines and simply pull apart the apricots to halve them into a 13x9x2 or similar-sized oval baking dish.

Top the fruit with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and orange blossom water. Stir to coat the fruit completely and "melt" the sugars. Taste the fruit, and if you think it is still very tart, add a couple more tablespoons of either of the sugars. Stir in the 1/4 cup flour. 

Bake for 30 minutes. 

While the fruit cooks, make the biscuit topping. In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to combine.

Add all of the cubed cold butter at once, then pulse in 1-second pulses until a dry crumb forms (about 10 1-second pulses). Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.  

Use a rubber spatula to fold in the yogurt. Use a light hand and keep at it until the dough comes together. This takes some doing but is worth it for a tender biscuit! The dough should look a little rough; don't over-mix or over-handle it.

When the fruit is bubbling and baked, remove from the oven and increase the heat to 425 degrees.

Lightly and roughly shape 10 flat-ish biscuits and space them evenly over the fruit, without letting them touch one another. 

Top each biscuit with a dusting of the remaining teaspoons of granulated sugar. 

Bake for 16 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden. Cool the cobbler for about 20 minutes before serving. To make ahead, rewarm the cobbler for 15 minutes or long as you need, in a low oven (250 degrees).