Plum and rhubarb cobbler with star anise & vanilla

Name: Plum and rhubarb cobbler with star anise & vanilla
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 1kg dark plums; 600g (net weight) rhubarb; 1 vanilla pod; 1½ tsp ground star anise; 180g soft brown sugar; 1 orange juiced; icing sugar, for dusting (optional); 200ml crème fraîche, for serving; 420g plain flour, sifted, plus extra to dust; 1 tsp salt; 70g caster sugar, plus extra to dust; ¼ tbsp baking powder; 170g cold butter; 300ml whipping cream; 1 free-range egg, beaten

Instructions

The flavour of freshly ground star anise is vital for this soul-warming dessert. The trouble is, it's very hard. An alternative to using a spice grinder would be the old pestle and mortar or a small food processor, followed by carefully sifting the powder and getting rid of any hard chunks.

Updated at: Sun, 27 Sep 2026 18:19:38 GMT