Blueberry Cobbler

Summer: ripe berries, juicy peaches and plums...and bathing suits.

Seems cruel doesn't it? Summer rolls around and the local markets are packed with beautiful stone fruit and cartons of all different berries, and what do we immediately do with them? Mix them with sugar and throw them under some buttery, flaky crust. Delicious? Yes. Low calorie? No. Now, it's not like Fall doesn't have its fair share of delicious fruits and vegetables as well: Apple pie? Butternut squash soup? Holiday cookies? Yes please! But at least those delicious morsels have the decency to be accompanied by cold weather that necessitates layers upon layers of clothing. Those extra 5 pounds that have so rudely take up residence around your midsection? Oh, I'm sure that's just the extra 6 sweaters you're wearing today...

Unfortunately, Summer is not so forgiving. But what else are we to do? Just eat plain, fresh fruit? I don't think so. Not when I have so many delicious recipes on my to-do list. It's fashionable to wear mu-mus to the beach now...isn't it?

This was another Memorial Day Weekend recipe, but would be perfect for July 4 or any other warm summer weekend. As with any cobbler, this can be adapted for use with all different kinds of fruit. (One of my favorite combos, particularly for pie, is peach and blueberry.) What is unique about it is the topping. It's more cake-like than the typical biscuit topping you see on most cobblers, which I really liked. It was sweet, but not too sweet, had a nice, soft texture, and was a perfect compliment to the warm, juicy fruit. Serving this with vanilla ice cream is a MUST. Unfortunately, I underbaked this slightly as it was the first time I made it, so although the fruit was perfectly cooked, the topping was still a little underdone, which was a disappointment. I've altered the cook time in the recipe below to reflect what I think may be a better window of cooking time.

Blueberry Cobbler

Serves 8

Ingredients: 

Topping:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 Tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste

Filling:

4 pints (8 cups) blueberries

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon grated lemon zest

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.

3. Put the butter and 3/4 cup of sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed to combine, then beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and creamy, scraping down the sides as necessary. Beat in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated.

4. Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk in 2 batches. Scrape down the sides and mix again to be certain all ingredients are combined.

5. Put the blueberries in a large bowl and toss with the sugar, flour, and zest. Spread in an 11-inch square baking dish or a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

6. Spoon mounds of the batter over the berries, leaving space between the mounds. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar from the topping with the cinnamon, and sprinkle over the batter.

7. Bake for about 40-50 minutes, or until the juices are bubbling and the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into just the topping comes out clean. If the top starts to become too brown before it is cooked, lay a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the cobbler.
8. Let the cobbler stand for at least 10 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Leftover cobbler can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Adapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home

Next Indulgence: New York-Style Coffee Cake