Nashville, TN – Once considered too common to serve to guests, the cobbler has been rediscovered for its simplicity. It’s easy to throw together, especially when you are craving a summery dose of after-dinner comfort.
Although Southern cooks make wonderful cobblers, no country or region can claim cobbler as its own. Grunt, slump, buckle, roly-poly, flummery, pandowdy and cobbler are all old-fashioned regional desserts of cooked fruit with a biscuit, dough or bread topping of some type.
Cobbler Styles
Reference books usually define cobblers as a deep-dish fruit dessert topped with a thick biscuit crust sprinkled with sugar, but cookbooks often have many different recipes for this simple dessert. The variety comes not only from different fruits, but also from how the crust is made – a traditional pie crust, biscuit dough or a pourable batter.
The ultimate traditional Southern cobbler is probably one made with a flaky pie crust. Cobblers made with pie crusts are sometimes made with a bottom and top crust, and other times with only a top crust like the Peach and Berry Cobbler. Some serious cobbler makers even bake pieces of pastry dough on a baking sheet, then layer them with the fruit as the cobbler is assembled.
Cobblers served in trendy Southern restaurants are frequently topped with rich biscuit dough. The comforting Country Berry Cobbler features a mixture of berries topped with biscuit dough made with Martha White All-Purpose Flour, sugar, butter and heavy cream. The recipe calls for the biscuits to be rolled out, but you can make a softer dough and drop the biscuits over the fruit. In fact, some believe that the name cobbler comes from dropping soft dough over fruit so that it looks rough and “cobbled.”
Of course, one of the easiest ways to make a cobbler is to top fruit with a pour-on batter crust. Some recipes like Berry Good Cobbler call for the batter to be poured in the bottom of the pan and fruit spooned over it. As the cobbler bakes, the batter magically rises to the top to form a crisp crust. To make it even simpler, this batter is made with a convenient Martha White Muffin Mix.
No matter what kind of crust or fruit you prefer, a homemade cobbler will always delight family and friends. For more cobbler recipes, go to www.marthawhite.com and click on recipes.
Peach and Berry Cobbler
Crust
1 1/2 cups Martha White® All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold Crisco® All-Vegetable Shortening
4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons ice water
Filling
4 cups fresh sliced, peeled peaches
2 cups fresh blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Martha White All-Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoons sugar
Vanilla ice cream, if desired
Directions
1. COMBINE 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon sugar and salt in bowl of food processor. Pulse to blend. Add shortening and pulse 5 to 6 times until about the size of small peas. Add butter and pulse 5 to 6 times until about the size of small peas. Drizzle water over mixture. Pulse 8 to 12 times or until dough forms clumps. Turn out onto waxed paper. Shape into a 6-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days or freeze up to 1 month).
2. HEAT oven to 375°F. Combine peaches, blueberries, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and almond extract. Stir gently. Let stand at room temperature about 15 minutes or until slightly juicy. Pour fruit into 2-quart baking dish. Dot with 1/4 cup butter.
3. ROLL dough out to slightly larger than baking dish. Drape dough over fruit. Trim to 1/2-inch. Fold under pressing dough onto the rim of the dish. Crimp edge and make 3 cuts in center of dough. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar.
4. BAKE 45 to 50 minutes or until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown. Cool 20 minutes before serving. Serve with ice cream, if desired.
Makes 8 servings
Country Berry Cobbler
Filling
6 cups mixed berries (such as blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and/or blueberries*)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter
Crust
1 1/2 cups Martha White® Self-Rising Flour
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
Topping
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon sugar
Directions
1. HEAT oven to 350°F. Combine fruit, 3/4 cup sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl; mix well. Pour into 12 x 8-inch baking dish or other shallow 2-quart casserole. Dot with 2 tablespoons butter.
2. COMBINE flour and 1 tablespoon sugar in a large bowl; mix well. Cut in 6 tablespoons butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture is about the size of small peas. Add 2/3 cup cream; mix with fork until moistened, adding additional cream 1 tablespoon at a time if needed. Shape dough into a ball.
3. ROLL out on lightly floured surface to 3/8-inch thick. Cut with knife or 3-inch biscuit cutter into 8 pieces; place on top of berries. Brush biscuits with remaining 1 tablespoon cream; sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon sugar.
4. BAKE 40 to 50 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Cool slightly. Serve warm.
*Frozen unsweetened berries may be used. Thaw partially before using.
Makes 8 servings
Berry Good Cobbler
Berry Mixture
1 (16 oz.) pkg. unsweetened frozen mixed berries, thawed, or 3 cups fresh blueberries, raspberries and/or blackberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
Crust
1/3 cup butter
1 (7 oz.) pkg. Martha White® Strawberry Flavored Muffin Mix
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
Whipped cream or ice cream (optional)
Directions
1. HEAT oven to 350°F. Gently stir together berries, 1/2 cup sugar and water in large bowl. Set aside. Place butter in 8 x 8-inch (2-quart) baking dish. Microwave on MEDIUM power for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until butter is melted. Stir together muffin mix, 1/4 cup sugar and milk in medium bowl just until blended. Pour evenly over butter in baking dish.
2. SPOON berry mixture evenly over crust mixture in baking dish. Do not stir. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Serve warm or cool with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.
Makes 8 servings
Crisco is a trademark of The J.M. Smucker Company.
