Nectarine and Blueberry-Almond Cobbler

With summer in full swing, I thought it was a good time to post this recipe.  I adapted this recipe from David Lebovitz's book Ready for Dessert.  This book is full of lovely desserts and when I saw that the topping for the cobbler contained almond paste, I knew I had to try it.  David also has a really great blog with recipes and musings on his life in Paris.  The original cobbler called for cherries, which I also want to try, but this time I decided to make it with a combination of nectarines and blueberries.  They go very well together with the sweetness of the nectarines balancing out the tartness of the blueberries.  It a simple recipe.  The fruit is tossed with some sugar and lemon juice, and the cobbler topping is spread on top.  This isn't a typical cobbler with a biscuit like topping.  This is more like a fluffy almond-flavored cake.  It goes really well with a scoop of ice cream.  I had to bake mine about 10 minutes longer than the original recipe called for, so if your topping gets too brown before the cake is fully baked, cover it with foil so it won't burn.  

On another note, I know I haven't posted much lately, but I plan on unveiling some new features on the blog soon, so I hope you keep reading.  Thanks!

Nectarine and Blueberry-Almond Cobbler

Filling:

• 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries (if using frozen, thaw and drain them)
• 3 1/2 cup nectarines, halved, pitted and sliced into 1/2 inch slices
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Topping:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 7 oz. almond paste, crumbled 
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk (whole milk or 2%)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the filling, in a shallow 2-quart baking dish, toss the nectarines and blueberries with 2 tablespoons of sugar and the lemon juice

To make the topping, in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the almond paste and 1/3 cup sugar on medium speed until the almond paste is broken into fine pieces.  Beat in the butter, then the egg and vanilla extract.  Add half of the flour mixture, followed by the milk, then the remaining flour mixture, mixing just until combined.

Spoon the batter evenly over the fruit in the baking dish.  Bake until the topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the topping comes out clean, about 45 minutes (mine took about 55 minutes)

Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.