Friday, January 21, 2011

Blackberry Cobbler


I’ve really been missing spring fruit lately so when I saw some beautiful and very inexpensive blackberries at the market, I scooped them up. They were not locally grown but I just couldn’t help myself. They’re imported from Mexico and they are deliciously sweet and juicy.

In order to best enjoy their bright fresh flavor, I decided to keep their preparation simple by making a very basic cobbler. Cobblers come from a terrific family of rustic baked fruit desserts such as Crisps, Grunts, Bettys, Pandowdy, Slumps and Buckles. They are very quick and easy to create with the simple combination of a few basic ingredients. In this preparation, the berries are enhanced with some sugar, orange zest and the perfectly delicious pairing of cinnamon. The cobbler topping is light and just the right sort of texture to top off the lusciously baked fruit. The whole dessert comes together in just a few minutes and provides a great treat to hold us over until we arrive at the beautiful bounty of spring.

Bench notes:
- If you don’t have berries in your midst now, try this with pears or apples. Switch out the orange zest for lemon, use your favorite spices and you probably don’t need any flour. Toss in some dried cranberries or a couple of finely chopped medjool dates.
- Always taste your fruit first and if it isn’t particularly sweet, adjust the sugar.
- I made individual servings but you can also use a baking dish large enough to hold the berries for one large cobbler.
- For another great winter dessert, try the super delicious Winter Fruit Crisp.


Blackberry Cobbler
Serves 6

1 C flour
2 T sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
generous 1/4 t salt
2 1/2 oz (5 T) cold butter
1/2 C buttermilk
1 t vanilla

5 C blackberries
1/3 - 1/2 C sugar, to taste
1 T flour
1/2 t cinnamon
zest of 1 orange

1 T melted butter for brushing the top
1 T turbinado or granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

For the filling, toss the berries with the sugar, flour, cinnamon and orange zest to evenly coat all the fruit. Set aside.

For the cobbler topping, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl.

Slice cold butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture, tossing to coat each piece. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, blend the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Combine the buttermilk and vanilla and add to the flour and butter mixture. Stir with a fork until just combined without any dry patches. Do not overmix. The dough should look lumpy and crumbly.

Toss the fruit and distribute into 6 ramekins or one baking dish. Distribute the dough evenly on top of the berries. Brush top of the dough with melted butter and sprinkle generously with sugar.

Bake until filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

20 comments:

Modern Crush said...

Oh!! Dang! I needed this exactly one week ago when I was making an apple cobbler for my husbands 30th birthday... I settled for something I found on the inernet, and it wasn't near as good looking. I am going to try this - thank you!

Lisa@ButteryBooks said...

I am craving this right now! I like the idea of putting them in individual ramekins..nice presentation.

A Plum By Any Other Name said...

Sometimes you just need a blackberry cobbler in the dead of winter. And I salute you for it!

Georgia | The Comfort of Cooking said...

This looks so incredibly warm, comforting and tasty! I love that last shot you got with the big, plump blackberry, too... Just wonderful! I'm so glad I found your blog and am looking forward to exploring and seeing more! :) -Georgia

Anonymous said...

Spring fruit? I'm craving a hit of spring just now after 18" of fresh cold fluffy white stuff. The cobbler does look too good, but I'm going to have to substitute with a blend of apples for the fresh part and jam for the brilliant color.

Thanks :PS,
OhEss

pastry studio said...

Hello all and thank you for your generous comments! For those who are new to my blog, I hope you enjoy browsing and baking.

OhEss, that's a lot of snow right there. I say it's time to fire up the stove! And apple jam cobbler sounds delicious. Stay warm, good friend.

Mobile Disco said...

Looks soo tasty. x

Unknown said...

this looks so freaking yummy!!! can i use milk instead of buttermilk cuz it's expensive here and I think the consistency is pretty much the same. It's just that buttermilk tastes sour.

pastry studio said...

Hello khom and thanks for your question!

For 1/2 cup of buttermilk, you can substitute:

1/2 C milk + 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar

OR
1/2 cup plain yogurt

OR
1/2 cup sour cream.

Anonymous said...

I just discovered your blog and it's gorgeous!
The recipes are delicious and the photos are amazing.

Theo said...

Saw a link from a flickr contact and glad I navigated over to your blog. Congratulations, for whatever the worth of my opinion I have to say that the writing, subject matter and photography are all excellent. I'll give this cobbler a go and fully expect it to be as delicious as it looks. Thanks for a very well done blog. Looking forward to more..

pastry studio said...

Welcome new readers! So grateful for your wonderful feedback and happy to have your company in this culinary journey. It's all about the pleasure of pastry!

Mary Bergfeld said...

This really does bring summer to a winter gray Oregon kitchen. It sounds lovely and is beautiful to look at, as are all your recipes. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

any said...

These looks so yummy. Yours look so delicious, I’ll have to give it a try.

Dinning Guide said...

Your food photos are amazing! I’ve been lurking on your blog for awhile and finally thought I’d say something…. your photography is excellent.

restaurants said...

Your blog is looking very amazing ..I will try this definitely at home.

Brianna said...

Wow this looks absolutely good and probably taste delicious. I can’t wait to try this at home.

Olivia said...

Your food photos are amazing! I’ve been lurking on your blog for awhile and finally thought I’d say something…. your photography is excellent.

DJ MANCHESTER said...

YUM YUM! I'll be trying that recipe before the month's out!!

DJ PRESTON said...

This is great! Glad I found it as just picked a load of blueberries from the back garden!