Fresh Blueberry Cobbler perfect after tweaks
I came across the inspiration for this recipe while sorting though old photos on my computer. The photo was of a recipe for chocolate banana bread from the Arkansas Democrat’s
Front Burner column by Kathy Harlan, published July 15, 1981. (Harlan’s Front Burner column was the Democrat’s version of Idea Alley.) Also on the page was a recipe for fresh blueberry cobbler shared by Jean Cochran. The angle of the photo was such that I could read the ingredients, but I couldn’t make out all of the measurements. So I guessed. I also did a little tinkering, adding some lemon zest and subbing cinnamon in for the nutmeg called for in the original.
The name “cobbler” is a bit of a misnomer. Instead of a short crust pastry or cake batter, the blueberries are topped with a streusel-like mixture of wholewheat flour, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. So it’s kind of like a crumble or crisp, but without the oats. The sweet-and-salty buttery streusel is the perfect textural contrast to the juicy berries and the pop of lemon zest keeps the blueberries’ flavor bright.
The first time I made it (which you can watch in the accompanying video), it came out much too sweet (and the sugar was one of the measurements I could read!), more soupy than juicy and, ironically, with a high crust-to-berry ratio. I noticed the sweetness and soupiness before baking, so to try to correct for those I added more berries before topping with the streusel.
When I made it again, I cut back on the water, reduced the sugar by a few tablespoons, doubled the berries and baked it in a slightly larger pan. The result was a more
balanced filling-to-topping ratio with just the right amount of sweetness.
It is divine served at any temperature; downright rapturous when slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Fresh Blueberry Cobbler
3 to 4 cups fresh blueberries, divided use
½ cup granulated sugar
Zest of ½ lemon
1 cup whole-wheat flour
½ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt (a smidge less if using salted butter)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup butter, cut into chunks
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of the blueberries and the granulated sugar with about 2 tablespoons of water. You want just enough water so that the pot isn’t dry. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. The berries will burst and release their juices. Remove from heat. Stir in the lemon zest and the remaining berries.
Pour the berry mixture into a 9-inch round or 8-inch square pan. (I used an 8-inch cast-iron skillet in the accompanying video, which was a bit small. If you opt to use an iron skillet, use a bigger one.)
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix well. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the berries. Bake 25 minutes or until berries are bubbly and topping is golden.
Serve warm, at room temperature or chilled.
Makes about 8 servings.