Frontier Dried-Fruit Cobbler with Whiskey Fruit Cream
n Colorado, desserts did not start with bakeries. They started beside campfires. Long before Palisade peaches and farmers markets, our cooks made do with whatever could survive the journey: sacks of dried fruit, a tin of sugar, and a splash of whiskey for the nights that ran cold. This cobbler was the prize at the end of a long trail, the kind of sweet that made rough days feel civilized again.
The version baked today still carries that same heartbeat of resourcefulness, but with a Colorado twist. We rehydrate a mix of dried fruit such as peaches, apples, cherries, and apricots in whiskey and juice until they are plump and fragrant. The syrup that forms is rich with caramel and spice, the kind of aroma that fills the kitchen before you even open the oven. The fruit bakes under a buttery crust that rises golden from the heat, while the reserved liquid finds new life in a soft whiskey fruit cream that carries the flavor full circle.
It is comfort built on craft, an old trail recipe reborn with a modern sense of flavor. This dessert reminds you why the West still belongs to those who can make something beautiful out of what is on hand and a little fire.
