In October, Cortland apples from the orchards are fresh off the trees — ideal for apple maple cobbler.
For me, apple maple cobbler is as welcome as pie, and not as heavy. Cobbler offers the benefits of pie with a shortbread-like crust I prefer. Tender and slightly citrus-y with the addition of orange rind, the crust is soft and crumbly when cooked, which makes it all the better with natural juices from the blend of apples and maple syrup. In reading the recipe you may be tempted to ask: “where’s the cinnamon?” My reply is: “what cinnamon?” One beauty of cobbler is really showcasing the essential flavor of the fruit and, with Cortland apples — which keep their shape but give off juice — that’s tart and saucy. Cinnamon’s so bossy it always takes over and I love the way the maple flavor comes through. Our neighbors gave us a quart of their homemade syrup last winter and while Mr. AM loves it on his blueberry pancakes, the rich flavor really adds to a minimalist dessert like this one.
Cortland apples were introduced in 1915 and is known as a tart cooking apples which don’t discolor easily. I like them for baking because they mostly hold their shape yet, as a Mackintosh cousin, they are very juicy. The flavor is delicate and very old-fashioned.
There are two slightly tricky aspects to a cobbler which looks to be deceptively easy. The chilled dough can be sticky it’s rolled but no worries — flour the work surface and the top of the dough generously.
Keep a knife nearby to free it should it behave badly when rolled up on the pin to put it over the baking dish. If it falls apart, I push it back together until it’s pliable and roll it out again.
Then trim the crust even with the outside edge of the dish because the dough shrinks when cooking and it needs to completely cover the apples so they cook through.
The other important thing is to be sure the cobbler goes into the oven as quickly as possible after the dough goes on. It shouldn’t sit around and it can’t wait for the oven to come to temperature. Once baked, it is very sturdy. (Photos: Lisa Deyo)
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