i'd rather be baking

I realized this weekend that I’ve developed a habit of baking dessert on Sunday nights. Usually I bake during the day, but there’s something about Sunday night that makes me want a warm, fresh-from-the-oven dessert. I guess it feels like a nice way to close out the weekend. And all summer long, these desserts have mostly featured fruit.

With the gorgeous bounty of fruit available, summer fruit desserts are pretty much a no-brainer and I realize, incredibly basic. But I can’t get away from them. There’s something magical about barely-sweetened fruit that’s delicious on its own but seems to become something altogether more wonderful after baking in the oven for a bit. These desserts are the only times all summer that I feel like heating up the house with the oven is truly worthwhile. They’re just so good.

This one is probably my favorite so far. I started with a recipe for plum cobbler, cut it in half, and threw in some peaches that were going to mush in my fridge. Then I realized that I had no lemons to zest and my fresh ginger had seen better days. But no worries. The plums would not be stopped.

If there is any lesson to be learned from my rambling, it is this: if you think that fruit is great cold, chances are it’s better warm. Give it a try!

Peach-Plum Cobbler
Adapted from Cooking Light

Makes 4 individual cobblers in 6-inch ramekins

About 2 1/2 pounds plums and peaches (I used 3 small plums and 1 medium peach), peeled, pitted, and quartered
1/2 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
pinch of salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
3/4 cup plus 3/4 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
1/3 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons chilled butter or margarine, cut into pieces
3 ounces chilled 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, cut into pieces
1/4 cup fat-free or low-fat yogurt (I used fat-free vanilla)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine fruit, 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice, and ginger in a bowl. Add 1/8 cup granulated sugar, pinch of salt, and 3/4 tablespoon flour; toss. Arrange mixture in ramekins or small baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine remaining 3/4 cup flour, remaining 1/8 cup granulated sugar, another pinch of salt, and baking powder in a food processor; pulse 3 times. Add butter, remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and cheese; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yogurt, cinnamon, and vanilla; pulse until blended.

Drop dough by spoonfuls over plum mixture; sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden.