Hard to top a cobbler
A combination of biscuits, sweet fruit go into the rustic treat
For an easy, rustic dessert, you really can’t beat a cobbler. With a fleet of tender biscuits floating on a sea of sweet fruit, a good cobbler can hold its own against any fancy cake or pastry.
For this cast-iron skillet cherry cobbler, we looked to jarred, pitted cherries in syrup to deliver maximum cherry flavour with the least amount of prep work. We used a portion of the syrup, thickened with cornstarch and seasoned with allspice, nutmeg and vanilla, to enrich our fruit filling.
For the topping, we wanted fluffy but sturdy biscuits that didn’t need to be baked separately from the cherries. To accomplish this, we incorporated a combination of baking powder and baking soda into the biscuit dough.
Baking powder encourages baked goods to rise and is activated by heat, so we spaced our biscuits 1/2 inch apart to give them room to grow in the oven. Baking soda, on the other hand, contributes tenderness and is activated by an acidic ingredient, so we added buttermilk, which also lent our biscuits great flavour.
The cast-iron skillet went right
from the stovetop to the oven for maximum convenience. We prefer the crunchy texture of turbinado sugar sprinkled on the biscuits before baking, but regular granulated sugar can be substituted. For best results, serve within 15 minutes and transfer any leftovers to an airtight container.