Here today, gone today. That's the lifespan of blackberries entering my kitchen. I've been told their dark color makes them really good for me -- even more antioxidants than blueberries. Rah-rah-sis-boom-bah, I'd eat them even if they were on on the not-so-good-for-me foods short list. When I buy a box of blackberries, I eat a box of blackberries. When I pick blackberries, they disappear on the walk to my kitchen door. I do not share blackberries -- well, maybe, probably I would, but, I've yet to be tested on this point. That said, because blackberries require no special treatment (peeling, chopping, slicing, dicing, etc.), if I buy an extra box, and I work very quickly, I can affectively manage to get the requisite four cups of berries into a cobbler while I eat the rest.
This cobbler goes together faster than I can eat berries!
A bit about cobbler: Cobbler is almost always associated with a baked, deep-dish fruit or berry dessert that emerges from the oven with a semi-crispy top that has been made with a batter, a biscuit dough or a pastry. There is no right or wrong topping for a cobbler -- it depends on your preference, where you live, and/or who taught you how to make cobbler. Cobbler recipes have been printed in European cookbooks since the 19th century and were originally main-dish, protein-based meals. Cobblers in the US originated in the Colonies because the English settlers were unable to make their traditional suet puddings for lack of ingredients and proper equipment. The name is said to derive from the finished product looking like a rough cobblestone street.
4 cups blackberries (24-ounces)
4 ounces salted butter (1 stick)
1 cup pancake mix
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon blackberry brandy and/or 1 teaspoon blackberry extract
Sugar 'n Cinnamon
~ Step 1. Place the butter in an 8" x 8" x 2" baking dish/2-quart casserole -- I like clear glass because I can keep an eye on the baking process. Melt the butter in the microwave. Tilt the dish to evenly coat the entire bottom with the melted butter.
~Step 2. In a large bowl, stir together the pancake mix, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a 1-cup measuring container, stir together the milk and brandy and/or extract. Add the milk mixture to the pancake mix mixture. Using a large rubber spatula, stir until a thin, semi-lumpy batter forms.
~Step 3. Pour all of the batter into the baking dish right on top of the butter. Do not stir the batter into the butter. Using a slotted spoon, spoon/distribute the blackberries evenly over the batter. Generously sprinkle the top of the berries with Sugar 'n Cinnamon. Bake on center rack of preheated 350º oven 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Note: While the cobbler is baking, the blackberries (or any fruit) are going to sink to the bottom of the baking dish. At the same time, the batter is going to bubble and bake up to the surface in random spots across the surface. The cobbler will be golden brown and will spring back slightly when touched in the center. Walk away. Cool at least 20-30 minutes prior to serving.
Serve steamy-hot, slightly-warm or at room temperature...
... w/homemade blackberry-cobbler ice-cream:
Have a Very-Berry Blackberry-Cobbler Kind of Day: Recipe yields 8-12 servings.
Special Equipment List: cutting board; chef's knife; 4-cup measuring container; 1-cup measuring container; large rubber spatula; 8" x 8" x 2" baking dish/2-quart casserole, preferably clear glass
Cook's Note: My dad loves peaches the way I love blackberries, meaning: they are his favorite fruit. This luscious peach cobbler, which can be made without compromise using home-canned or store-bought canned peaches (in place of fresh peaches), is my way of keeping his favorite fruit-dessert world a peachy-keen place to be even when peaches are out of season: ~ Alices's Super-Simple Georgia Peach-Pie Cobbler ~.
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2024)
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