Vintage Eats Recipe: 1967 Italian Plum Cobbler

This is my new favorite vintage dessert recipe!

I had never cooked with plums. Truth be told, although I liked the taste of plums eaten raw, I didn’t purchase them often.

Finding two bags on sale at the grocery inspired me to pick them up and try them in a recipe.

Wow!

This Italian Plum Cobbler from the always-reliable set of Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks — ‘So Good with Fruit’ – made me glad I did.

It is a simple cobbler recipe. I’ve made lots of them over the years, especially apple.

But the meaty sweetness plums added an extra dimension of sparkle and depth.

I was not sure I had purchased Italian plums. Looking at photos of them online made me think that was the type. They were dark purple on the outside and a deep juicy red inside.

As usual, I made one minor change to the original recipe.

I prefer not using packaged mixes and putting together my own topping. But since this was my first attempt at the recipe, I decided to go with the original recipe.

With no packaged biscuit mix on the shelf, I used pancake mix for the topping with a great result.

The recipe calls for 1-1/4 cups of sugar. While the amount didn’t make the dish too sweet, I will cut it back to 1 cup for the next one, just to experiment. I bet we won’t notice the reduction and still achieve a great flavor.

We added a dollop of Greek plain yogurt on top to add acid to the sweetness of the cobbler. Yum!

The cookbook is hardback and in great condition. I file my collection of Better Homes and Gardens’ volumes in alphabetical order to be able to avoid purchasing duplicates and to find ones I want quickly.

Go to your farmer’s market or grocery today to look for plums and make this easy, quick-to-assemble Italian Plum Cobbler dish. It’s great for a potluck, church supper, or family get-together.

I purchased the plums on sale so the entire pan only cost approximately $3.00.

Plums are in season so take advantage of this overlooked fruit to make this doozy of a dish!

Take care,

**

Italian Plum Cobbler

1-1/2 cups packaged biscuit mix

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1-1/2 pounds Italian plums, pitted and quartered (about 3-1/2 cups)

1-1/4 cups sugar

¼ cup water

2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/3 cup milk

In small bowl combine biscuit mix, 2 tablespoons sugar, and melted but; set aside.

In medium saucepan combine plums, 1-1/4 cups sugar, water, and tapioca. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mix boils.

Stir in the 2 tablespoons butter.

Pour into 8x8x2-inch pan.

Add enough milk to dry ingredients to moisten; drop by spoonfuls on top of hot plum mix.

Bake in hot oven (425 degrees) for 20 minutes or until done.

Serve warm with plain or whipped cream.

Yield: 6-8