A traditional favorite with a new Nordic flair

If I had to pick a favorite summer dessert, it would probably be peach cobbler: billowy soft biscuits sitting on top of a luscious, sweet peach filling—it’s so simple and so good, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This recipe for Cardamom Peach Cobbler was inspired by a summer issue of Martha Stewart Living. I just love the idea of bringing the very Nordic flavor of cardamom to something as American as peach cobbler. Indeed, variation is an absolute winner with its tender biscuits and a perfectly sweetened filling featuring sliced ripe peaches, cardamom, allspice and just a bit of vanilla extract. The spices and vanilla are subtle here, allowing the peaches to be the star of the show but still providing something special to elevate this basic dessert from good to great.

And let’s not forget the biscuits! Perfectly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, they are the perfect complement to the saucy peach goodness underneath. And these biscuits get extra Scandi points because they are made with skyr (Icelandic yogurt). If you don’t have skyr, no problem! Greek yogurt makes an excellent substitute.

EXPERT TIPS

While this Cardamom Peach Cobbler is a very simple recipe, here are a few tips and tricks to ensure peachy perfection every time:

• Start with firm, ripe peaches. You’re looking for the Goldilocks of peaches….not too hard and not too soft. Just right.
• Peel your peaches with a serrated peeler. This is the easiest and most efficient way to peel a peach. If you don’t have a serrated peeler, I’ve included instructions in the recipe notes for blanching and shocking the peaches to remove the peel. This process is a little more involved but works just fine.
• Bake the fruit by itself before adding the biscuits. I learned this trick from the good people at the America’s Test Kitchen. The peach filling will benefit from a longer cook time than the biscuits. This also means that the biscuits are going on top of a hot filling, which helps them from becoming gummy on the bottom. Win-win!
• Keep the ingredients for the biscuit dough and the dough itself COLD. This is the secret to tender, flaky biscuits. Much like pie dough, biscuits are made by cutting cold butter into the dry ingredients. This helps create that flaky layered effect we are looking for in a biscuit.
• Don’t overwork the dough. All it needs is 8-10 pulses in the food processor to cut in the butter and then a quick mix with a fork and your fingers until the dough just comes together. Done!

CARDAMOM PEACH COBBLER

MAKES 6 servings

In the United States, peaches are harvested from the end of June until the end of August.

INGREDIENTS:

For the filling:

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp. ground cardamom
• ¼ tsp. ground allspice
• 2 tsps. cornstarch
• Pinch of fine salt
• 2½ pounds ripe but firm peaches peeled, pitted, and cut into wedges (about 6 cups)*
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the biscuit topping:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsps. granulated sugar
• ¾ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. fine salt
• 5 tbsps. cold unsalted butter cut into ¼-inch cubes
• ¼ cup skyr or Greek yogurt (not nonfat)
• 2 tbsps. cold water
• turbinado sugar for sprinkling
• vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for serving

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Make the filling: Whisk sugar, cardamom, allspice, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add peaches, vanilla extract, and lemon juice and gently toss until the peaches are evenly coated. Transfer fruit to a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and bake until fruit begins to release liquid, about 20-25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, make the biscuit topping: Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until combined. Scatter cubes of butter over the top and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand with a few pea-sized pieces of butter, about 8–10 pulses. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add skyr or yogurt and water. Mix together using a fork and/or your fingers until a dough forms (be careful not to over-mix).
4. Once the fruit is out of the oven, use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to drop 6 equal-sized mounds of dough on top of the hot peach mixture, leaving at least a half inch between each biscuit. Sprinkle the dough mounds with turbinado sugar and transfer to the oven. Bake until the filling is bubbly and biscuits are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Notes:
*The easiest way to peel peaches is to use a serrated peeler. If you don’t have a serrated peeler, you can use a paring knife to score each peach with an “X” at the base and blanch the peaches in a pot of simmering water for 20–30 seconds. Remove the peaches from the simmering water and immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water. This blanching and shocking process will loosen the skins and you should be able to peel them easily by hand beginning where you made the “X.”

Photos by Kristi Bissell