Day 188: Pinwheel Fruit Cobbler with Caramel Sauce

Today I thought I'd post the winning recipe from the Arkansas Dutch Oven Society's dessert contest.  My kids thought these were the bomb!  They've begged me to make them again.  They were really tasty!  I'm lucky I even got to take a picture of them.  My kids were scooping them out of the pan before I could get it set down. 

Pinwheel Fruit Cobbler with Caramel Sauce
10" dutch oven

Sugar Syrup

2 cups water
2 cups brown sugar

Pastry

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup milk

1 stick butter
2 cups fresh fruit, finely chopped

Caramel Sauce

individually wrapped caramels
evaporated milk

Prepare the sugar syrup by boiling the water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.  Set aside to cool.
Prepare the pastry by cutting the flour into the shortening until it is the consistency of small peas.  Add the milk and form into a ball in the middle of the bowl.  Place dough on a lightly floured board and roll out into a rectangle about 1/4" thick.  Drain fruit and spread on the pastry dough.  Roll up jelly roll fashion.  Slice in 1" thick slices.
Preheat your dutch oven with 8 coals on the bottom.  When the oven is warm, melt the butter.  Place the pinwheel slices carefully in the oven.  Gently pour the sugar syrup over the slices.  Cover and place 17 coals on the lid in a checkerboard pattern.  Bake 15 minutes.  Remove all but 4 coals from the bottom of the oven and bake an additional 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm with caramel sauce. 
For the caramel sauce, melt the caramels in a small dutch oven over very low heat.and thin to desired consistency with evaporated milk. 

The Finished Product

By the time I got to take a picture they were almost cold, so you can't see how gooey they were.

The Review

My son just walked by and said "Oh, is that those amazing pinwheel things?"  I think that just about sums them up.  The brown sugar syrup thickens and caramelizes while they bake and it soaks into the pastry.  I used raspberries in mine, but I think this recipe was made for apples.  The caramel would have complimented them perfectly, but the berries were awesome.  I didn't use quite all the sugar syrup, but I should have.  Don't worry if the pinwheels are completely covered with syrup, they will bake perfectly.  I'm going to make these again with apples.  They are really versatile, since you can use any fresh fruit thats in season.  You will want to double this recipe and bake them in a 14" oven.  Grade A.