Plum-Blackberry Cobbler

Ingredients

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
• 7 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 5 cups ripe but firm plums, pitted and sliced into 1-inch wedges
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 6 ounces blackberries
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting counter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, chilled

Directions

1. Warm a large skillet over medium heat and melt 3 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle in 1/4 cup brown sugar, then stir as it cooks until the sugar has dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the plums along with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring now and then, until the fruit starts to give off its juices, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium-high and keep cooking, with stirring, until those juices look syrupy and thick, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Fold in the blackberries and ginger. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice with the cornstarch, then mix that into the fruit. Spoon the filling into a pie plate.
3. Set the oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a bowl, combine the flour, the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, the baking powder, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and the baking soda. Work in the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, or use a food processor to pulse it in, until the mixture looks like little peas. Pour in the buttermilk and stir only until the dough comes together.
4. Flour a clean, dry counter and place the dough on it. Knead just until it holds, about 6 times. Press it into an approximately 8-inch circle, then cut out biscuits or slice the dough into wedges.
5. Arrange the biscuit dough over the fruit and bake until the tops are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Move the cobbler to a cooling rack and let it settle for about 10 minutes. Serve warm with optional ice cream or a drizzle of fresh cream.