Bumbleberry Cobbler

Leftovers can be more fun than the original dish.  

Whether it is left over pizza that you can chow down on the next morning, leftover spaghetti that you can fry up in a sauté pan the next evening (or for brekkie!), chilli, stew, etc all seem better the next day.  The flavours have gotten to know each other better, and have established long-term relationships.

Leftovers of individual ingredients that you purchased to make one dish, are another matter.  Sometimes you wonder, “Now what? I used the asparagus, beets, strawberries etc for that soup, roast, pie, but what do I do with the rest of the produce?”  Sure, you could make the very same thing again.  But that it isn’t what you want to make, again.  So, coming up with fresh ways to use the same ingredient that will make everyone smile, can sometimes be a challenge.

Well, this recipe is just such a recipe.  I had gone kinda nuts at the farmers market, picking up all sorts of berries and cherries etc the other day.  They just looked so pretty!  I used them the way I wanted to: my Summer Berry Tart (see previous recipe post)  I snacked on some of the rest, used some for a fruit salad of sorts.  I used some for a blackberry sauce for a venison dish over the weekend (more on that coming). But I still had a goodly amount of berries!  And they were just starting to turn.  Not quite bad enough to resort to jam, but not that perfect photographic example of freshness either.  So what to do before jam became the last resort?

Obviously they would need to get baked up somehow.  If you know me by now, and you do, I’m not a secret (!) pie was an obvious choice.  But I wanted to do something NOT obvious or predictable.  I wanted to be frivolous, shockingly unpredictable.  So I decided on a cobbler (heheheh- yes, a REAL stretch from pie you say!!)

I love the crust of the biscuit-like topping in a cobbler.  Even more so than the streusel topping for a crumble or crisp.  The underneath would still be a lovely, warm, velvety stew of fruit and spices, with just enough juices to make a lovely ‘soup’ that combines with vanilla ice cream so well.  

So here is a great way to use up all the berries that you may have, before berry season is over for another year.  Because I used the berries, some cherries, rhubarb and grated apple, I can officially call it a Bumbleberry Cobbler.  Bumbleberry usually refers to a lovely combination of berries, rhubarb and apple.  From all the research I’ve done, the rhubarb and apple are a given, with the varied berries up to the individual.

Have you checked out Ugly Produce is Beautiful yet?  It’s a fantastic site that highlights the amazing things we can do with the wonderful produce all around us, even if what we are seeing isn’t Vogue cover worthy.  Homely, less than impressive looking tomatoes, carrots, peppers and pears still have so much to offer.  They have beautiful personalities!!  This recipe will also be available via Sarah Phillip’s important site.  She not only highlights their worthiness, but also the important issues of food waste and what we can do to improve the situation.

Enjoy these last few weeks of berry season, 2016.

Love Jen

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Bumbleberry Cobbler

The classic pie combo of berries, rhubarb and apple comes together under a biscuit like topping.  Just add ice cream!

Course Dessert

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 10

Ingredients

• 3 cups berries your choice: strawberries, blueberries, currants, raspberries etc) cleaned and cut (in the case of the strawberries or cherries etc)
• 2 cups rhubarb cut into 1 inch cubes (can use frozen, just add an extra tbsp of flour or so to the flour below, since rhubarb releases a lot of water)
• 1/2 to 1 cup peeled, grated Granny Smith apple
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• zest of 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp AP flour see Note above for using frozen rhubarb

Drop Biscuit Topping

• 1 1/2 cups AP flour
• 6 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of kosher salt
• 6 tbsp butter chilled
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup kefir or buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or paste
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.

   Butter a deep nine inch square (or so) baking dish. Set aside. Alternately you can use a 10 inch round deep dish pie plate

2. Mix together the sugar, lemon zest and flour for the filling.

   Place the berries, rhubarb, and apple into a bowl. Add the flour mixture, combine and pour into the prepared baking dish, spreading them out evenly.

3. COBBLER TOPPING

   Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

   Grate the butter over the flour and combine lightly with your fingertips.

4. In a separate bowl mix the egg, buttermilk or kefir and vanilla. Save 1 tbsp of this mixture for the end.

   Pour the rest over the flour mixture and combine with a wooden spoon till it becomes a craggy dough.

   Using a spoon, drop nine equal spoonfuls over the fruit mixture.

5. Brush the remaining egg/milk mixture over the biscuits.

   Combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle evenly over the cobbler topping.

   Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, till top is golden, and the juices are bubbling.

6. Let cool slightly before serving.

   Serve with ice cream, creme fraiche, or whipped cream.

Recipe Notes

In the cobbler I made this week, to the berries, I added an over ripe peach, cherries, and some frozen rhubarb. This is truly an example of a recipe where you can use a creative combination of ingredients.