Skillet Apple-Plum Cobbler

We have an espalier apple tree that grows along the fence next to our pool. It doesn't take up much room and provides us with 2-3 buckets of apples each year.  There are 6 limbs, each with a different variety of apple.  I have since forgotten what kind we have! It has taken me a while to adjust to being an apple "farmer".  To me, apples signify the start of fall.  When the apples started falling in July I thought I had a problem with my tree.  No, in our warm valley, they just ripen earlier!  My granddaughter and I picked apples and I've been dealing with them ever since!  

I'm just not in the mood to bake apple desserts yet, the smell of cinnamon is for fall, not summer! I did make some apple pie filling but still  have a large bowl of apples in the fridge. Every time I open the door I feel guilty knowing I should be doing something with them. In the meantime, I keep being gifted summer fruits (thank you all my gifters!) and was given a nice bag of plums. The same day this happened I received a free Family Circle magazine in the mail.  One of their recipes was for this apple-plum cobbler.  It was a divine inspiration moment, a way to use both fruits! It was easy to decide on dessert that night!

The plums really shine in this cobbler, it has a nice sweet-tart vibe to it. The addition of sour cream to the biscuit dough made for a very light and fluffy cobbler biscuit.  This will be my go-to cobbler biscuit recipe from now on.

Skillet Apple-Plum Cobbler

Fruit:
1 1/2 pounds apples, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 pounds plums, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt

Biscuits:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Carefully combine all fruit ingredients.  Place in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk first five biscuit ingredients together.  Using pastry blender, or hands, add butter until clumps the size of peas are formed.  Stir in sour cream.  Form into 6 round biscuits.

Carefully remove skillet from oven and place biscuits on top.  Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.  Bake 20 minutes more, until biscuits are browned.