Berry Cobbler
Mix and mingle the best of the season’s fresh berries under flaky pastry. This is truly great tummy food. It’s wonderful with a big dollop of crème fraîche, but the more traditional and favorite topping is simply the best vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
- Cobbler Binder
- Sugar - 3 tablespoons
- All-Purpose Flour - 1 tablespoon
- Cobbler Filling
- Cobbler Binder - 1⁄4 cup
- Juicy Ripe Berries - 6 cups (either singularly or in combination: blueberries, black-berries, and raspberries)
- Lemon zest - 1 tablespoon, grated (be careful not to use the white layer, as it is bitter)
- Unsalted Butter - 1 tablespoon, diced and kept chilled
- Heavy whipping cream - 2 tablespoons
- Topping
- White Lily or other self-rising flour - 2 cups
- Sugar - 2 tablespoons
- Unsalted Butter - 1⁄2 cup (1 stick) cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes and kept chilled
- Heavy whipping cream - 3⁄4 cup
- Heavy Cream - 2 tablespoons, for brushing tops
- Sugar - 2 tablespoons, for brushing tops
Instructions
To make the cobbler binder: In a small mixing bowl combine the sugar and flour. Set aside.
To make the cobbler filling: In a large mixing bowl combine 1⁄4 cup of the cobbler binder, the berries, and lemon zest and let the berries macerate for an hour or more at room temperature. Sprinkle the butter over the filling, then spoon the cream over the butter. When ready to cook, pour the filling into a 9-inch round baking dish or individual ovenproof bowls.
To make the topping: Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour and sugar and mix well. Add the cold diced butter and work into the flour with a pastry cutter, fork, or fingertips until the butter pieces are a little larger than an English pea but not larger than a lima bean. If you are using your fingers, work quickly so your body heat won’t melt the butter.
Pour in all of the cream. Using a plastic spatula and light pressure, fold the mixture a few times until it becomes cohesive. Do not overmix. In order to make a light cobbler topping, it is important to work the dough as little as possible.
When the dough is mixed, turn it onto a floured surface and quickly and gently knead it 6 to 10 times or until it just begins to be nearly homogenized. There will be large pieces of butter throughout. Keep a little flour under the dough to make sure that the dough doesn’t stick on the bottom and lightly dust the top of the dough so that the rolling pin doesn’t stick on the top. Roll the dough to about 5⁄8-inch thickness.
Cut the dough into 4-inch rounds. Place the rounds on top of the cobbler filling. Use as much as needed of the cream to brush the tops. Then sprinkle the tops with the sugar. Bake the cobbler in the preheated oven for about 40 to 50 minutes or until the top is cooked through completely and the cobbler is thick and bubbly. Gently lift a part of the top and make sure that it is cooked and not still liquid and raw. Remove and serve while warm.
