Apple Cobbler

Ingredients

• 3 lbs of a variety of good cooking apples such as Granny Smith, Pippin, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Gravenstein
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest or orange zest

Directions

1. Peel the apples, then cut them into quarters and remove the cores. Chop the fruit into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces, dropping the pieces into a bowl as you go and turning them with the lemon juice so they do not brown while you work.
2. Set a large pan over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the chopped apples, along with the lemon juice in the bowl, then add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Give everything a good turn in the pan so the apples are evenly coated. Leave the pan partly covered and cook the apples until they are barely tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla, then dust in a tablespoon of flour and toss again.
3. Spoon all of the apple filling, juices and all, into your baking dish: a 10-inch pie dish, a deep-dish 9-inch pie dish, or a 9x9-inch baking dish. Heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
4. For the topping, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the butter cubes and toss them through the flour mixture. With your fingertips or a pastry blender, work the butter in until the biggest bits are no larger than peas. Stir in the candied ginger and zest.
5. Make a hollow in the center of the flour mixture and pour the buttermilk into it. Use a fork to bring the flour and buttermilk together, stopping once the flour is moistened. Keep a light hand here; the dough does not want fussing.
6. Break the cobbler dough into crumbles over the apples in the dish. If you want a little extra sparkle, scatter a small amount of brown sugar over the top.
7. Put a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest oven rack to catch any bubbling juices, then set the cobbler on the rack just above it. Bake at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes, until the top is starting to color, about 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue baking for 30 more minutes, until the topping is baked through and the filling is bubbling. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.