cure-for-the-blues berry cobbler

i took my son to SFO today, and i’m feeling a little blue. so i cheered myself up with this recipe. i tried to make it last night, to celebrate his departure, but fouled the recipe up with baking powder. i guess that was too much chemistry. the kids were honest with their food critique, but they ate it anyway, so it wasn’t a total disaster.

anyway, this is the fixed recipe.

kids could make this with very little supervision, and what’s better, come mother’s day, father’s day, or the feast of midsummer, they could make it for *you*. as an enticement you might tell your teenager how impressed their future paramours will be if they bake their girl/boy friend a pie! cobbler’s practically pie, when it comes to affairs of the heart.

enjoy.

• fresh blueberries
• fresh raspberries
• 1 fresh peach or nectarine (optional)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup sugar (more or less)
• coriander
• cinnamon
• lemon juice

A) First things first: blend the flour, cinnamon, and 1/4 cup of the sugar together. then cut in a tablespoon or two of butter at a time, with a fork. This means just smash the butter in until it is blended with the flour mixture. You’ll end up with a kind of crumbly mess in your bowl. No worries.

B) Wash and drain your lovely berries – you may pat them dry if you are feeling kind and motherly. If you are going to add the stone fruit as well, now is the time. Pour half the remaining sugar on the fruit, stir gently, and TASTE A BERRY. If there is any mistake you can make with this recipe, adding too much sugar would be it. Let this idea guide you – the sugar should enhance the slightly sour berries, not turn them into candy. You know what I mean. For this reason, don’t sample a peach or nectarine – try the berry. You’ll have a better chance of getting the proportions right.

Now pour in a tablespoon or so of lemon juice, and add a dash of coriander. Pour the fruit into a baking dish and sprinkle the crumbly flour mixture on top. Then put the pan into an oven pre-heated to 450F or so.

Now you have a few minutes where you can do whatever you like. I suggest whipping some cream* by hand (or electric beater, as long as it’s not store-bought aerosol whipped cream) – by the time you’re done, the fruit will be bubbling out from under the topping and the cobbler will be ready to eat.

the following picture is NOT of the cobbler i made – next time i make it i will be sure to photograph it before i eat it all up.

*Whipped Cream:

• 1 carton of heavy whipping cream
• 1 Tbl sugar – I’m not kidding, just 1 Tbl – no more!
• vanilla extract

I purposely don’t say how much vanilla extract because I don’t remember. I think about a teaspoon is right – but I usually add a few drops more because I love the taste.

Above all – err on the side of caution with the sugar, and you will be amazed at how much better everything tastes. There is sugar in dairy to begin with (lactose = milk sugar) and then add that to the natural sugar in the fruit, the added sugar in the fruit, and the added sugar in the crust/topping, and you’ll see how easily the sugar can overwhelm the berries, which is the bottom line.

well, i know i feel better.