Mini Grape Cobblers
Iain Bagwell
Without a bottom crust to get in the way, grapes caramelize at the edges, adding depth to their sweetness. Red, late-summer varieties like Flame and Crimson keep their color in the oven and bake up nice and jammy. The tender cream cheese top pastry doesn’t hold a distinctive crimp, so let it be rustic. To bake the recipe in one big dish, see instructions below.
How to Make It
1
Make pastry: In a food processor, whirl 1 cup flour, the butter, cream cheese, and salt until dough comes together. Gather into a smooth disk, wrap airtight, and chill 1 hour.
2
Preheat oven to 375°. Make filling: Combine ingredients in a bowl. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, for tapioca to begin to soften. Spoon into 8 ramekins (6 to 8 oz. each), or make 1 big cobbler*.
3
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out pastry 1/8 in. thick. Cut out 8 rounds, making them 1/2 in. wider than ramekins; reroll scraps as needed. In center of each round, cut out 3 holes, slightly apart, of different sizes (7/8 to 1 3/8 in. wide), using pastry cutters* or a knife. Set pastries on filled ramekin and flute edges to sit just inside dish. Brush with cream and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Set ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.
4
Bake until pastry is golden brown and crisp and grapes begin to caramelize, 35 to 40 minutes. (Bake the cut-out pastry holes separately if you like. They make great snacks!) Let cobblers cool on sheet at least 30 minutes.
* For a big cobbler, spoon filling into a shallow 2- to 2 1/2 qt. baking dish about 1 1/2 in. deep. Cut dough to match shape of dish, making it 1/2 in. larger on all sides. Cut about 12 holes in pastry. Bake dish directly on oven rack (not on a baking sheet) 35 to 40 minutes. For holes in pastry, we used the Ateco 12-piece plain round cutter set (webstaurantstore.com).
Ingredients
Pastry
1 cup flour
6 tbsp cold salted butter, diced
4 oz cold cream cheese, diced
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 ½ tsp whipping cream or milk
1 tsp coarse sparkling sugar
Filling
⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp each cornstarch and quick-cooking tapioca
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp lemon zest
3 tbsp lemon juice
6 cups seedless red grapes (from 2 1⁄4 lbs. fruit, rinsed and patted dry), 3 cups cut in half
Directions
1
Make pastry: In a food processor, whirl 1 cup flour, the butter, cream cheese, and salt until dough comes together. Gather into a smooth disk, wrap airtight, and chill 1 hour.
2
Preheat oven to 375°. Make filling: Combine ingredients in a bowl. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, for tapioca to begin to soften. Spoon into 8 ramekins (6 to 8 oz. each), or make 1 big cobbler*.
3
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out pastry 1/8 in. thick. Cut out 8 rounds, making them 1/2 in. wider than ramekins; reroll scraps as needed. In center of each round, cut out 3 holes, slightly apart, of different sizes (7/8 to 1 3/8 in. wide), using pastry cutters* or a knife. Set pastries on filled ramekin and flute edges to sit just inside dish. Brush with cream and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Set ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet.
4
Bake until pastry is golden brown and crisp and grapes begin to caramelize, 35 to 40 minutes. (Bake the cut-out pastry holes separately if you like. They make great snacks!) Let cobblers cool on sheet at least 30 minutes.
* For a big cobbler, spoon filling into a shallow 2- to 2 1/2 qt. baking dish about 1 1/2 in. deep. Cut dough to match shape of dish, making it 1/2 in. larger on all sides. Cut about 12 holes in pastry. Bake dish directly on oven rack (not on a baking sheet) 35 to 40 minutes. For holes in pastry, we used the Ateco 12-piece plain round cutter set (webstaurantstore.com).
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