It’s been a busy few weeks with little time for taking pictures or writing but this morning I realized I had both a little time and several bits of fresh fruit from my Great River Organics CSA  (Community Supported Agriculture) on hand and Fruit Cobbler  popped into my mind.  The recipe is based on one I got from a good friend and former colleague Carrie Sears.  It’s with her that I first experienced the joys of CSA membership.  We shared a Wayward Seed CSA share for several years and not only was it great to  enjoy the fresh, locally grown produce but we also got to share recipes and ideas of what to do with our bounty.   On one particular week we were discussing what to make with the lovely plums we had just gotten in our bag and she told me about the Fruit Cobbler she made.   This version of Cobbler  is much easier than the Cobblers I grew up with which consisted of a large rectangular pan of fruit topped with a pastry crust.  Not that making a pastry crust is time consuming or difficult but this type of cobbler is even easier and ever so tasty.  So when you have a bit of extra fruit on hand and are craving something sweet, this could be on your table too.

The ingredients are likely things you have in the pantry and refrigerator already.  Sugar &  spice, flour, butter, milk, baking powder, vanilla, a pinch of salt and the random fruit you have hanging around.  I didn’t find any evidence of it,  but my logic tells me it could have been called cobbler because  the early British settlers made it from what could be cobbled together from the ingredients and equipment on hand.  This would explain why there are so many different styles and versions of the same type of dish.  Some have a pastry crust, some a biscuit or scone like topping and some a simple cake or pancake like batter like this one.    The thing they all share in common is that they taste great and are simple to prepare.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and melt the butter in the dish you will use for baking.  Today I’m using a rectangular baking dish but a 9 or 10 inch pie plate would work as well and would force the batter to rise over the fruit a tad higher.

Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt (if you are using unsalted butter) and warm brown spice of your choosing in a small to medium sized bowl.  Today I chose coriander because I love it’s faint citrusy character, but cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice would be great as well. 

Add the vanilla to the milk.

Prep your fruit.  Today I’m using a some blueberries, plums, a peach and a few blackberries.  The total amount should be 2 to 2 1/2 cups of bite size fruit pieces.

Whisk the milk into the flour mixture.  

Pour the batter over the melted butter-do not stir.

Arrange the fruit pieces evenly over the batter and again do not stir.  

Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until the fruit is nice and bubbly and the batter mixture had turned a golden brown.

Serve it warm as is or as as I like it with a little splash of heavy cream.    Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream are great as well, but this was my breakfast.   I guess I could have gone with a dollop of lowfat yogurt but I do so love Snowville creamery heavy cream!!

Enjoy!

M.B.

 

Fruit Cobbler

by: M.B. Einerson

Adapted from a recipe given to me by my good friend and former colleague Carrie Sears

 Servings: 4 to 6 (but easily doubled in a 9 x 13 baking dish to serve 8 to 12)

• ¼ cup unsalted butter (if using salted omit the salt in the recipe)
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. warm brown spice (I like coriander for its slightly citrusy character but cinnamon or nutmeg or allspice are great as well depending on the type of fruit you are using).
• ½ cup milk
• ½ tsp. vanilla
• 2 to 2 ½ cups fruit, in bite size pieces – any single or combination you like, plums and peaches are two of my favorites.
• ¼ cup granulated sugar (optional-it really depends on how sweet and ripe your fruit is and how sweet you like your cobbler, it will give a nice crunch to the top as well)

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Place the butter into a glass pie plate or 8 x 11 or smaller glass baking dish and place in the oven to melt.  The larger the dish the less the batter will rise up to cover the fruit.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and spice and set aside.  Add vanilla to milk and set aside.

Prep the fruit if needed.  If you’re using blueberries, raspberries or blackberries etc. your good to go.

Whisk the milk into the flour sugar mixture until smooth and pour over the melted butter, but do not stir.  Distribute the fruit evenly over the batter and again do not stir.  The fruit will settle into the batter as the cobbler bakes.  Bake until the fruit is bubbly and the batter is golden brown, this should take approximately 45 minutes.

Serve warm as is or with some heavy cream, whipped cream or ice cream on top.

Enjoy!

M.B.