Recipe by Amy Eldredge & Chelsea Currier
Classic cocktails as baked goods—this was bar owner Amy Eldredge's vision. She began figuring out how to instill the flavor profiles of beloved drinks into bakery fare, and along the way teamed up with Chelsea Currier, a pastry chef. Now they are they are authoring a cookbook, The Bartender's Bakery, due out in late 2019. Their recipe for dutch-oven-baked Jack Rose Cobbler is below. You can learn how to make the cocktail that inspired it, Amy's Pomegranate Jack Rose, in our last post.
Ingredients
For the apple filling:
- 6 medium-sized tart crisp apples, Fuji works well
- ½ cup sugar, organic
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup and 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ¼ cup pomegranate molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ounces Apple Jack Brandy
For the lime cornmeal biscuit topping:
- ¼ cup sugar, organic
- Zest of two limes, a microplane works best
- 1 ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup ground cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into half inch cubes
- 1 ¼ cup buttermilk, fat free works, but some butterfat imparts more flavor
- Organic sugar for sprinkling on top
For the lime creme fraiche:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Method
Make the filling:
Peel and core apples, slicing them into 6 to 8 wedges per apple.
Toss apples in the sugar, cardamom, salt, and flour.
Add pomegranate molasses, vanilla, and brandy and stir together. The apple filling should be slightly saucy; it will continue to leach out liquid as it sits.
Make the biscuit topping:
Rub sugar with zest from the limes—this can be done by hand, rubbing the zest with the sugar, or in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment for 3-5 minutes. The sugar can be prepared with the zest ahead of time, up to 24 hours. The purpose of this is to get as much flavor from the oils in the lime zest as possible.
Whisk together sugar-lime mixture, flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.
Break up butter in the dry mixture by hand into pea sized, flat butter flakes. This can also be done in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
Add buttermilk, folding the biscuit mix until the moisture is absorbed and no dry mix remains. The biscuit should be sticky and soft.
Make the creme fraiche:
Whisk together cream, buttermilk, and lime juice and pour into a canning jar.
Place cheesecloth or a paper towel over the jar, and screw on band.
Place jar in a warm place, 70 degrees Fahrenheit or so, for 12-18 hours.
Creme fraiche will set and become thick and should then be placed in the fridge overnight before serving.
Dutch Oven Baking Method
Prepare your charcoal briquettes (avoid those with starters or additives), heating at least 30 briquettes.
Pour apple mixture into a 4 quart dutch oven. Add 8 to 10 scoops of the biscuit dough on top, then sprinkle the dough with sugar. Top with lid, sealing completely.
In your fire pit, use heat-safe tongs to place 6-8 hot briquettes close together so they will nestle under the dutch oven. Place the dutch oven on top of the briquettes and place 12-16 more on the lid, equally spaced.
Bake for 35 minutes and check for doneness. The biscuit should be golden and baked through and the apple filling thick and bubbling. Bake for up to another 10 minutes if necessary.
Scoop cobbler into your serving dish, top with creme fraiche and pomegranate seeds.
Serve with pomegranate Jack Rose cocktail.
