Happy July and national blueberry month!
But seriously, can anyone believe it’s already July? Quarantine (Yes, I’m still quarantining. Wear your masks people!) feels like it’s been dragging on for an eternity. The days and weeks all meld together and I definitely spend too much time indoors. I feel like I haven’t fully been able to acknowledge or appreciate the changing of the seasons. Admittedly I don’t mind spending my days in the comfort of air conditioning, but I can’t help but long for that feeling of summer.
For me, the best part about summer is the produce. It’s the one time of year I’m thankful to live in an area surrounded by farms. Nothing beats NJ produce—corn, tomatoes, plums, berries. I mean, it’s called “The Garden State” for a reason. I can’t think of a better way to honor summer fruit than by turning it into dessert.
Perhaps one of my favorite fruit desserts is a cobbler. Warm fruit + biscuit topping + a cold scoop of ice cream— what’s not to love? It’s easy to throw together, can serve a small (socially distanced) crowd, and is pretty foolproof.
Making this cobbler is easier than pie. The filling can be mixed together right in its baking dish and when the biscuits bake they get the most delicious outer crust and tender crumb. This cobbler is saucy (the way I think cobblers should be) and simple, not too sweet, and so perfect for summer.
Follow along for a step-by-step breakdown or skip to the bottom for the recipe.
Start by making the drop biscuit topping.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
Add the cold, cubed butter to the dry ingredients. It’s important to keep the butter cold here in order to create a tender biscuit.
Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour, i.e. the rubbing method. By doing this, the butter will coat some of the flour and prevent the biscuit from becoming tough. The butter should break down into smaller, pea-sized pieces. The finished mixture should look sandy and mealy with visible bits of butter throughout.
The rubbing of the butter could alternatively be done by cutting the butter into the dry ingredients using either a pastry blender, back of a fork, or two butter knives.
Add the cold heavy cream to the butter/dry mixture. Use a fork to mix everything together until combined. If dry bits remain, give the mixture a quick hand mix. Just be careful to not over mix. Put the topping into the refrigerator to stay cold while you make the filling.
This cobbler is baked in a 9” deep dish pie plate. Any dish of similar capacity will work just as well, such as an 8” to 9” square baking dish.
Next, make the filling. Put the blueberries in the pie dish. I prefer to use fresh because it yields a better texture, but frozen works in this recipe as well.
Add the sugar, pinch of salt, lemon zest and juice, vanilla extract, and cornstarch to the blueberries and toss together until evenly coated.
Use a 2” scoop (about 3 scant tablespoon-portions) to scoop the cold biscuit topping and drop on top of the filling. Alternatively, you could just divide the dough into 11 portions, lightly round, and place those on top of the filling.
Mix 1 tablespoon of heavy cream with 1 tablespoon of water and use that to brush the top of each biscuit. Finish with a sprinkling of granulated sugar. Raw or demerara sugar would also be great sprinkled on top.
Bake the cobbler on the middle rack at 375 degrees f until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Feel free to slide a sheet pan under the cobbler while baking in case any of the juices bubble out.
Let the cobbler cool slightly, about 10 minutes. My serving suggestion, per usual, is warm with a big scoop of ice cream!
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Equipment
9” deep dish pie plate
Ingredients
For the Biscuit Topping:
1 1/2 cups (216 g) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (26 g) granulated sugar, plus some for sprinkling
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold heavy cream, plus 1 tablespoon for wash
For the filling:
28 ounces (about 5 cups) fresh blueberries
5 teaspoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving
Method:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees f with a rack set in the middle of the oven.
Begin by making the drop biscuit topping. Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add the cold, cubed butter to the dry ingredients. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture becomes mealy and the butter breaks down into pea-sized pieces. Add the 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons of cold heavy cream to the butter/flour mixture and use a fork to mix together until combined. If dry bits remain, gently mix them in by hand, but be careful not to over mix. Refrigerate the topping while you prepare the filling.
Put the blueberries in the pie dish. Add the sugar, pinch of salt, lemon zest and juice, vanilla extract, and cornstarch to the blueberries and toss together until evenly coated.
Use a 2” scoop (about 3 scant tablespoon-portions) to scoop the biscuit topping and drop on top of the filling. Alternatively, divide the dough into 11 portions, lightly round, and place those on top of the filling.
Mix the remaining tablespoon of cream with 1 tablespoon of water and brush the top of each biscuit. Sprinkle the tops of each biscuit with granulated sugar.
Bake the cobbler on the middle rack at 375 degrees f until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Let the cobbler cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Serve à la mode with vanilla ice cream or with a big dollop of whipped cream.
#cobbler #hotdesserts #blueberry #àlamode
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