Serves 6 to 8
What exactly is a “cobbler” and how did it get its name. I have noticed a tendency for many T.V. chefs to call any number of things a “cobbler.” When I went to Google Images, I saw apple pies, apple crisps and crumbles, apple buckles and some unidentifiable objects, but not one single picture of a true “cobbler.” Cobblers are topped with biscuits instead of pie crust. They are called cobblers because the biscuit topping resembled a cobbled street. This is another creation of the busy farm wife. It was easier and quicker to cut out biscuits to place on top of the fruit than it was to roll out pastry dough. Also, cobblers, like crisps and crumbles, tend to be baked in deeper dishes than pie pans. My mother use to make this harvest time specialty in the bottom half of her turkey roaster. When my older brother and sisters were home, not a crumb ever went to waste. And having a cow, our cobblers were always served with thick cream.
Egg wash – (1 raw egg lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water)
Raw, Turbinado or Demerrara sugar
Preheat the oven to 500° or five 550°. Make the biscuit dough and chill while you prepare the apples. Place the apples in a baking dish. Roll out the biscuit dough to be about three-quarters of an inch thick and cut into two-inch biscuits. Place these on top of the apples so that they are just touching each other. As they bake they will rise and expand so that they fill in the gaps. Paint the tops of the biscuits with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with raw sugar. Bake at 500° or five 550° for five minutes, then reduce the heat to 350° and bake for about forty to forty-five minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown and the apples, when pierced with a slim bamboo skewer and quite tender. Remove from the oven and serve either warm or at room temperature.