Whatever you can cobble together
George Washington earned a reputation for honesty according to a tale about him chopping a cherry tree. While the facts of that occurrence are questionable, two things are true: Washington was a great leader, and, cherries are abundant in the United States. With so many cherries, come so many ways to prepare them. Juvenile humor centers on cherry pie. But, today we celebrate a very American invention similar to the pie, but unique to the time it developed: it’s cherry cobbler day. If you are unfamiliar with cobbler, it’s kind of a cross between a pie and cake. The name comes from British implants to the USA who found they had a lack of proper ingredients and cooking materials to make Suet pudding. So they said use whatever you can cobble together.
Thankfully they came up with the cobbler. British Puddings are not something to write home about. In fact they are a bit of a joke in many ways. They come out around Christmas in the form of Figgy pudding and Fruitcakes. Yum or wtf? Cobbler, on the other hand, is sort of a cross between cake and pie. If you aren’t familiar with it, picture a deep dish pie, but, instead of a traditional flaky dough, the topping is a biscuit or dumpling type of batter. It’s similar to a crumble or crisp, but the topping has more substance. We’re heading into summer BBQ season, where shortcake is a favorite on menus. Think of cobbler as a pre-assembled shortcake baked in the dish or pan. You can top it with whipped cream or ice cream. And, it doesn’t have to be berry. Cherry comes to mind today.
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I cannot tell a lie; it’s Whatever you can cobble together
There are a variety of similar dishes out there. A fruit crisp employs a streussel topping (flour and grains mixed with sugar and fat usually butter or oil). Then you have deep dish pies where the baking vehicle holds the fruit and you top with a pie crust. Or you could have a pandowdy which is similar to a deep dish pie, but, the crust is partially sunk into the filling to create a caramelized pudding like consistency. Some people make what they call buckle, which is more like a single layer fruitcake (kind of what the inventors of cobbler were replacing0. We also have brown Betty where bread or crumbs are mixed in with the fruit. Then there is Slump or grunt which is a cobbler made on the stove top, so the dumplings or biscuit on top steam instead of bake.
While all these have their place, a traditional cobbler has more to offer. A crisp comes closest, and is easier to make. But, it lakes the cake-like texture of a cobbler. Steaming the dough defeats the purpose of having multiple consistencies. And, mixing everything together is basically making a cake or pudding. If you want soft food, eat ice cream. But, for a multi-faceted experience, cobbler is the way to go. It has the juicy fruity filling, a bit of cakiness, and a proper crust. Crunch, resistance, and juiciness, what’s not to like. And, the beauty is, recipes are pretty forgiving. When you make a pie, the filling has to be a perfect consistency or it sogs out the crust. With cobbler, being juicy is a lus. So, play with ratios and recipes. It’s whatever you can cobble together.
Make it your own
We always encourage a little experimentation. Dumplings, biscuits or a hybrid crust. have at it. We prefer fresh cherries. But, if you have to go with frozen or canned, have at it, especially out of season. Remember, cherries, like most fruits do have seasons when they are better. It depends where you are, and what your local stores have access to. However, nowadays, they are available year round. Thanks to hydroponic and indoor growing methods, they never completely disappear. So, try for fresh as much as possible. Of course, they do require work.You need to stem and pit them. So, getting pre-pitted ones is a plus, even if the quality may be a little less. But, they get baked into a syrup anyway, so do what you can. After all, it’s whatever you can cobble together.
Some recipes call for a can of pre-made cherry filling. While this is cheating, we won’t judge…much. Still, there’s a big difference in making your own filling. And, you can infuse different flavors. maybe you like some vanilla, grand Marnier, citrus, or add some apples or other fruit. And, you can change up your sweeteners and adjust the sweetness as desired. How about add in some honey, agave, and/or maple? Whatever you do, no one’s going to complain. Oh, except that person. Yeah, F’ them. They’re no fun anyway. This is Americuh! We do what we want with no f’s to give. Remember, it’s whatever you can cobble together. The melting pot of America is as American as the cherries in your cobbler or pie. And, cobbler is a great melting pot with complex textures.
Happy Baking!
Boozy Cherry Cobbler
Equipment
- 1 9×13 baking dish or pan
Ingredients
- For Topping Biscuit
- 1 cup Butter, cold chopped in pea size pieces or grate with a hand grater
- 2 Cup AP flour
- 2 Tbsp White Sugar
- 3/4 Cup Milk
- 1 Tbsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- For Filling:
- 3 Lb Fresh Cherries remove pits and stems
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 1/2 cup Agave syrup
- 1/2 Cup Bourbon
- 1/2 Cup Grand Marnier
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp Cornstarch Mix with a little water to make a slurry
Instructions
- Mix Flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
- Add in the butter and milk, mix by hand preferably or use a paddle attachment on mixer. Do not over mix or it will become too tough. Set aside to rest.
- make the filling. Put all ingredients except cornstarch in a pot over medium high heat. Bring to a simmer. Whisk in the cornstarch mixed with a bit of water and cook lightly until lightly thickened. Remove from heat.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray the baking dish with pan spray. Pour in the Cherry Filling.
- Lightly flour a bench or cutting board. Roll out the Biscuit dough to about 1/2 inch thick. Place the dough on top of the cherry filling. You can either do it as a sheet or cobble together a bunch of individual biscuits so the filling shows through. Sprinkle with a large grain sugar to help create a crisper topping.
- Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes. The top should be a golden brown color and the crust should be baked through.
- Cool on a baking rack. May be served hot or cold (we prefer hot/warm). Serve with whipped cream, ice cream, or whatever you like.