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½ cup golden raisins
½ cup Calvados or apple brandy
7 to 8 Gala apples
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ stick unsalted butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Rounded ¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream,
divided
1½ tablespoons turbinado sugar such as
Sugar in the Raw for sprinkling
Accompaniment:
Heavy cream
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Method:
Simmer raisins and Calvados in a small
saucepan over medium heat until liquid is reduced to 3 tablespoons,
about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let macerate, covered, 30
minutes. Meanwhile, peel and core apples, then cut into 1-inch
pieces. Toss with lemon juice. Melt butter in a
well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet and sprinkle granulated sugar
evenly over it. Add apples along with raisins and Calvados
(skillet will be full). Cook apples over medium-high heat,
without stirring, until juices are deep golden and bubbling, 18 to 23
minutes (do not worry if juices color unevenly). Transfer
skillet to oven and bake, uncovered, 20 minutes. Make biscuit
topping while apples bake: Stir together flour, baking powder and
salt then add ¾ cup cream and stir just until a dough forms.
Gather dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly floured surface.
Gently knead 6 times, then pat dough into an 8-inch round. Cut
out as many rounds as possible with lightly floured 2¼-inch round
cookie cutter. Gather scraps and pat out, then cut out more
rounds (You will have about 12). Assemble and bake cobbler:
Arrange biscuits on apples about ½ inch apart and brush tops with
remaining tablespoon cream. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and
bake until biscuits are puffed and golden, about 15 minutes.
Cool in skillet 20 minutes before serving. Cobbler is best when
freshly made but can be baked 3 hours ahead and reheated in a 180°C
oven.
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