Plum Cobbler and Pinot Noir...a match made in heaven

In last nights Wine Country Cooking Class, it was Pinot Noir night. The menu for the evening was

French Country Vegetable Soup

Citrus Cedar Plank Salmon

Cauliflower Puree

Plum Cobbler

The smell where intoxicating. You felt as if you where in a bottle of Pinot. The first thing to hit your nose was the cedar (from the cedar plank salmon),  the the light vegetal aromas of ripe tomatoes from the soup and lastly the velvety aromas of vanilla and plum from the cobbler. It was a night to remember.

I loved the pairing of Chalon Vinyard Pinot Noir, with it lightly oaked flavor and strong jammy fruit notes. I had to share it.



Plum Fruit Cobbler

Serves 4

Filling-
1/3 cup       Sugar
2 tbsp         All-purpose flour
2 lb             Plums, pitted, peeled (optional) and cut to chunks                   
1  tbsp        Unsalted butter, melted
½  tsp         Vanilla extract
1/8 tsp        Almond extract

Topping-
3/4 cup                 All-purpose flour
¼  cup                  Cornmeal
1 tsp                     Baking powder
¼ tsp                    Salt           
1 tbsp                   Unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
½  cup + 1 tsp      Heavy cream, divided
2 tsp                     Raw sugar

 
Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a baking dish.

Toss together filling ingredients in a large bowl. Spread out in baking dish and bake until just bubbling, 10 to 20 minutes.

Make topping while filling bakes: Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt, then blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ½ cup cream and stir just until a dough forms.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and lightly dust with flour, then roll out with a floured rolling pin into a 1/2-inch-thick round. Cut out biscuits with lightly floured cutter. If necessary, gather scraps and reroll once, then cut out more biscuits.

Arrange biscuits 1/2 inch apart over hot filling. Brush tops with remaining tablespoon cream, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake until topping is golden and fruit is bubbling in center, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool to warm, 30 minutes.

Best if served with whipped cream!!