Fruit Cobbler

This was an experiment that ended up tasting really good. Before this, I've only ever made apple cobblers and rarely varied from that kind. This was easy and came out a lot better than I expected. Having never eaten a cooked nectarine before, I didn't know what to expect. This recipe is great for those not-so-pretty fruit you have that is still good enough to cook with (and eat) but not perfect enough for eating as-is. (I'm picky that way) Strange thing is, I've never peeled either a nectarine or a peach before (never had a reason to). Really strange experience. But one I plan to repeat as this was a nice variation from the usual cobbler.

This is my fruit cobbler recipe:

Crust (crumble topping):
4 - 5 TBS. butter, softened
3 - 4 TBS. margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar (a mixture of brown & white sugar work well)
1 cup + flour (more, as needed to achieve a crumbly texture)
1/4 Tsp. baking powder
dash cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves (all ground)
dash salt

Filling:
1 apple, peeled, cored, sliced
2 nectarines, peeled, pitted, sliced
2 peaches, peeled, pitted, sliced
1/4 - 3/4 cup sugar (a mixture of brown & white sugar work well)
2 Tsp. (to 1 TBS.) cornstarch (this makes all the difference, thickens up the juice)
1 Tsp. flour
1 Tsp. cinnamon (ground)
dash nutmeg (ground)
dash cloves (ground)
dash of lemon juice

Prepare the crust first.

In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients and use a fork to mash it together (some people use two butter knives or a food processor; a regular fork works best for me). Add more flour if needed, you want a crumbly, dry mixture. It should be dry but not too dry, you don't want it to be like a bowl of flour. Once this mixture has a nice crumb-like consistency, put the bowl in the refrigerator. Cold shortening makes for a lighter topping.

Pre-heat your oven to 375° (or toaster oven to 400°).
Prepare the filling next.

In another bowl, add the dry ingredients first, and mix them well. Add the sliced fruit and lemon juice and toss well to coat everything evenly.

Pour the fruit mixture into a (lightly buttered) casserole dish or baking pan. Retrieve the crumble topping from the fridge.

Add a spoonful of the topping mixture to the fruit mixture and gently mix it to combine. Use the spoon to even out the fruit in the casserole dish (or baking pan).

Use a spoon or your hand and distribute the rest of the crumble topping mixture evenly over the fruit. (Do not pat down!) Cover lightly with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 25-35 minutes, or until the crumble topping is a light brown in color.

This lasts for about 2-3 days unrefrigerated. Maybe 4 if refrigerated. It's never lasted longer than 2 days here. (fruity dessert after dinner? sure! Mmmmmmm!!)

You can view another picture here and here.