In this next set of posts, I'll be introducing you (though you've likely already met) to some castoff members of the pie family. They're the distant cousins who show up late to every family function with their shirt untucked and hair a mess, but who once you get them going, make the party with their outrageous stories and ridiculous jokes. Yes, I'm talking about cobblers and crisps, buckles and pandowdies. Portions of these upcoming posts originally appeared in the piece "Cobbled Together: American Fruit Desserts" on NPR's Kitchen Window, which you can find here.
We'll start with the matriarch of this slapdash family--the cobbler. I didn't understand the dessert until I understood the word. A professional "cobbler" is often thought of as a shoemaker and repairman, but a true cobbler is only a mender of shoes. A cordwainer is the more masterful footwear maker.
A cordwainer would not want to be called a cobbler. And a delicately latticed pie would not want to be mistaken for the less artful dessert that's thrown or "cobbled" together with disparate bits of fruit and pastry. Though a cobbler may not be as pretty as a fresh pie or a new shoe, the result is just as functional, enjoyable and more economical, at least in terms of time and effort.
Cobblers appear in American cookbooks at least as far back as the mid-1800s, where they are described as a dessert or "luncheon" consisting of a biscuit or pastry dough and fresh fruit, often peaches. Though some boast a double crust, what characterizes the cobbler is the baked top crust that covers the sweet, bubbling fruit filling.
Cobblers are a wonderful way to experiment with combinations of summer fruits. I like to pair stone fruit and berries, as the tart berries provide the perfect counterbalance to the sweet tree fruit. This cobbler pairs peaches with blackberries, but you could easily substitute other seasonal fruits — nectarines, apricots or plums for the peaches and blueberries or raspberries for the blackberries. After all, you're cobbling it together. If the shoe fits, wear it.
Peach-Blackberry Cobbler
Ingredients
For the biscuit top:
1 ½ c. flour
1 Tblsp. granulated sugar,
plus 1 Tblsp. for sprinkling
1 Tblsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ c. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut in to ½-inch
chunks
¾ c. whole milk
For the filling:
3 lbs. peaches (about 8 cups or 6-8 peaches) cut into
1/2-inch slices
1 c. blackberries (about 1 pint)
½ c. granulated sugar
2 Tblsp. light brown sugar, packed
3 Tblsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. salt
1 Tblsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
Directions
1. For the biscuit top, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, 1
tablespoon sugar, baking powder and salt. With a knife and fork or pastry
cutter, cut in the butter until mixture resembles the consistency of cornmeal
and peas. Add milk and stir gently to combine. Form dough into a ball and cover
with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes while you
prepare the filling.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine the peaches, berries, sugars,
cornstarch, salt, lemon juice and ginger. Pour filling into a deep-dish, 9-inch
(2 quart) glass oven-safe bowl, or an 11-by-7-inch baking pan.
3. Remove biscuit dough from the refrigerator and unwrap.
Divide dough into 10 to 12 balls of equal size (an ice cream scoop works well
for this) and spoon evenly over the filling. Sprinkle biscuit top with
remaining tablespoon of sugar.
4. Bake for 55-65 minutes until biscuit top is golden brown and
filling is bubbling. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Serve warm
with a scoop of ice cream.
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