Blueberry Cobbler

Cobbler has been something I’ve been playing with for awhile, the name originating with cobbling things together (like a little bit of this, a little bit of that) and in fact, the different kinds of recipes for cobbler reflect that, varying widely. So I’ve made pudding like cobbler, with a soft cakey texture (which Ayelet squirreled away to take home for Sunday morning coffee) and while it was good, I was going for a more biscuity texture with lightly sweetened and crispy yet fluffy topping with a jammy fruity thing going on beneath.

I searched and tried and finally cobbled together (yeah, sorry about that) a few different ideas and recipes into one whole. People, it was glorious, the topping rose beautifully and you practically had to anchor it with your fork. Light and luscious with a crisp topping it actually lasted amazingly well for 3 days (breakfast anyone?) since the biscuit topping kept absorbing the jammy bit beneath and surprisingly didn’t dry out. This shouldn’t be refrigerated, just lightly covered with tin foil, not tightly so it doesn’t sog on you. When it was eaten out of the oven, it was crispy on top and warm slightly runny jammy beneath which thickens up as it cools. Any which way you eat it, it was ridiculously yum.

Now you know I’ll eventually try this in a nondairy version but the dairy version is just insane. So try that first and I’ll update when I go nondairy with it.

So on to our prep. Start by freezing your butter, yes, yes, freeze it. You will be grating it so it has to be frozen. Alternatively you keep it in the fridge and will cut it very fine with 2 knives or a pastry cutter. I find it easier to grate into the dough. Then heat the oven to 425 F/220 C. This is very important since the biscuit needs the high heat to rise high and it bakes for a relatively short amount of time. K.

Make the biscuit dough first, since you will be popping it into the fridge while you make the jammy bottom. I used blueberries but most other fruit does well too.

Take out your biscuit ingredients.

Now I used some grated orange peel/zest (no bitter white pith, just the orange part!) but you could use lemon zest if you prefer it. Mix together your flour, baking powder (yes, a tablespoon, no mistake, you need it for the lift) salt and sugar. This is a relatively small amount of sugar but it’s more than sufficient for the jammy bottom is sweet. So whisk together the dry ingredients with the peel.

Now take the frozen butter and grate it like so:

The purpose of this is to have the butter quickly yet thoroughly be incorporated whilst very cold into the dough, this is to get you that amazing flaky texture. Add it to the whisked dry ingredients and quick as a bunny, use your hands to mix it in.

If the dough isn’t perfect all the same size crumbles, it’s okay. Now quickly add the cream, (yes yes cream, this is not for the faint of heart and it’s a wonderful indulgence, no cheating and using milk) and stir it up together just till mixed.

If it looks a bit shaggy that’s good and correct. Not supposed to look smooth. Onward. Cover the dough and pop in the fridge while you make the blueberry jammy bit. Make sure you’ve heated the oven! Okay.

Take an oven safe pan, preferably a cast iron one, but if not it must be able to go from stovetop to oven. Now melt the butter in the pan. This serves two purposes. You will brush the melted butter on top of the biscuits just before putting in the oven and the remnant in the pan coats it for you.

Pour off the butter (careful of the hot handles!) into a small dish for later. Pull pan off fire.

Now pour into the pan (off the fire) the blueberries, cornstarch, sugar, salt and juice (orange or lemon).

Okay, back on the fire on medium low and stir it all up together. If using frozen blueberries (as I did) don’t defrost them. Cook together, keeping an eye on the mixture so it doesn’t scorch and cook, stirring from time to time, till the blueberries achieve a jammy and thickish (but not very thick, just thickened) consistency a bit like a blueberry pie filling.

Turn off the fire. Okay, remember our biscuit dough? Now’s the time. Pull out of fridge, and using two tablespoons, scoop mounds the size of nice biscuits right onto the blueberry mixture. Don’t worry if it sinks a bit and they don’t have to be perfect.

I nearly forgot to put a pan beneath the skillet to catch any drips and would’ve had a conniption fit since there was leakage and dripping and it saved the oven. If you don’t forget (like me) also putting a piece of foil or parchment paper under the skillet will keep everything clean.

As soon as the cold biscuit dough is scooped onto blueberry mixture, brush with the melted butter you set aside, sprinkle with a bit of sugar over all the biscuits and, using mitts transfer right away to your hot oven and bake for 22-25 minutes or till tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and guess what? you don’t need to wait at all. I scooped some right onto a plate with biscuit and blueberry goodness and dove right in. I personally don’t feel ice cream or whipped cream are needed since it’s sweet (but not too) and prefer it with a piece of sharp cheddar cheese but that’s me. Amazing for breakfast, brunch, snack or what have you and still stays yum a few days later. Keep out, not in the fridge and lightly covered with foil.

Blueberry Cobbler

Biscuit dough:

1/4 cup or 50 grams white sugar

1 tablespoons or 3 teaspoons baking powder (yes, you need that much leavening)

2 teaspoons grated orange peel/zest

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups or 250 grams flour

3/8 cup (approximately 7 tablespoons ) or 95 grams frozen butter, grated

11/3 cups or 320 grams very cold heavy cream

Filling:

5 cups – approximately 950 grams frozen blueberries

1/2 cup or 100 grams white sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted

Pinch of salt

For tops of biscuits:

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 F/ 220 C. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together with fork or whisk, adding grated orange peel and stir. Place grated frozen butter into flour mixture and with your hands, pinch and mix quickly together till crumbles form. Add cold cream and stir together with fork just till a soft shaggy dough forms. Cover and pop dough in fridge.
Take a 10 inch cast iron pan or other oven safe pan deep enough to hold all ingredients and melt the two tablespoons of butter you are saving for the topping in pan carefully (don’t burn your hands! Hot!) pouring it off into bowl for later. Set aside.

Put blueberries, 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, salt and orange juice in pan. Turn heat to medium and cook together stirring until thickened and jammy. Turn off flame and immediately take biscuit dough out of fridge and with 2 tablespoons, scoop balls of dough the size of nice biscuits right on top of blueberries, using up all the dough even if it looks a bit crowded. Take the melted butter and brush on top and lightly sprinkle with sugar. Immediately place in oven (wearing oven mitts, very hot handles!!!) for 22-25 minutes or till nicely browned with a parchment paper covered pan beneath to catch stray juices that overflow (and they do! Don’t skip!). Only when nicely browned remove. Can be spooned up right away with jammy berries and biscuit on top. Amazing with a piece of cheddar cheese to go with or if you wish for something sweeter, a scoop of vanilla ice cream or lightly whipped cream.