I really love the distinct seasons in New York, but most of all, I LOVE Fall. After the long, sweaty Summer, the drop in temperatures is glorious. I take walks outside in short sleeves just to experience the sensation of feeling chilly! I also use the word Fall in every sentence I can because it is still fun for an Aussie to use that word for Autumn. And about now, I go crazy for pumpkins! Right now, I have a bunch of pumpkins, squash and gourds ready to go out onto the stoop.

My other early Fall favourite is concord grapes. They are insanely delicious – I describe their intensely sweet flavour as so “grape-y”, it almost tastes artificial. Is it wrong that they actually remind me of my favourite childhood drink Ribena? As beautiful as they are fresh, their richness and deep flavour make them perfect for jams, wines, liqueur, vinegar and baking. With my batch of concord grapes, I kept it simple with a quick skillet cobbler.

For this cobbler, I love the versatility of a skillet, as it is perfect for transporting from oven to table. Using a thick cast-iron skillet (mine are by Victoria Cookware) makes the whole dish incredibly simple – just melt a stick of butter in the skillet, add a basic batter, throw in some concord grapes and bake in the oven until golden brown on top. The concord grapes are wonderful in this recipe as they retain their shape and transform into a stunning purple colour.

Concord Grape Cobbler

Of course, with concord grapes hard to come by in some parts of the world, substitute with your favourite berries, peaches or plums in this recipes.

Serves 4-6

1 stick (113g) butter
1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 cup low fat milk (or almond milk)
1 cup sugar, plus 1 tbsp extra
Juice of ½ lime
1 tsp vanilla extra
2 cups seedless concord grapes (or other fruit) - if they have seeds, cut in half and remove them!
Vanilla ice cream, to serve

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Place the butter in one 10 inch cast-iron skillet or, as I used, two 6.5 inch skillets (just halve the butter and put some in each). Place in the preheated oven and allow the butter to melt.

Prepare the grapes by coating them with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Using a hand whisk, stir in the milk, sugar, vanilla, and lime juice, until well combined.

Once the butter has melted in the skillet, carefully remove from the oven and pour the batter into the pan with the butter. Working quickly, top the batter with the sugared grapes. Place back into the oven and bake for around 25-30 minutes until the batter is golden and has risen around the fruit. Place a large baking tray under the skillet to catch any batter or butter overflow.

Allow the cobbler to cool, preferably for around 20-30 minutes. I always allow my cobblers to cool a little before eating as this allows the fruit juices to thicken underneath the batter.

Serve big spoonfuls of cobbler with equally generous ladlefuls of vanilla ice-cream.

Disclaimer: The lovely skillets in this blog post were supplied to me by Victoria Cookware but all opinions, and love for this product are entirely my own. I only test and use products that I would actually use in my own kitchen.