Showing posts with label Fruits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fruits. Show all posts
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Cobblers have to be one of my favorite desserts to bake, and there is nothing better than an easy berry cobbler for this time of year when we are right in the middle of berry season.
What I love about cobblers is there is no faffing about with crusts, no rolling, etc. You just pour some sweetened berries and pop them into a casserole dish, top with the cobbler topping and bake away.
They really make for a simple and delicious dessert option.
There is also quite a variance in how you choose to top them. Some people choose to top them with biscuits, some with store bought canned biscuits. There is really no right or wrong when it comes to cobbler.
Today I am topping mine with a lovely buttermilk cake-like batter, which is incredibly moreish and very easy to make. Again, no faffing about with rolling or cutting. Just beat everything together and dollop it on top!
.jpg "Mixed Berry Cobbler")
With this version as well, its up to you what berries you decide to use. I happened to have a mixture of berries in my refrigerator so I used blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and the last of my strawberries.
But you can use just one kind if that is all that you have, or any combination that you have available to use. I haven't used frozen berries, but I can't see why they wouldn't work as well. I think I would thaw them first however.
This recipe I am sharing today has been adapted and down sized from a recipe which I found in the cookery book, Baking at Home with the Culinary Institute of America.
.jpg "Mixed Berry Cobbler")
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MIXED BERRY COBBLER
Simple ingredients. Nothing out of the ordinary here. The original recipe made 12 servings. I have switched it out to serve only 6. (Maybe less if they are really big eaters.)
- 3/4 cup (105g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 TBS (1/4 cup/60g) butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) sugar divided
- 1 small free range egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup (60ml) buttermilk
- 1 1/2 pints (3 cups) mix of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries
.jpg "Mixed Berry Cobbler")
If you don't have small free range eggs, then you can use one half of a large egg which has been beaten together with a fork. This should equal 2 TBS of beaten egg that you will need.
Cream of tartar helps to stabilize whipped egg whites when making meringues, prevents sugar from crystallizing and acts as a leavening agent in baked goods.
Because this recipe uses both baking soda and cream of tartar you can substitute 3/4 of a teaspoon of baking powder in its place if you don't have any.
.jpg "Mixed Berry Cobbler")
Second you can just mix equal parts of whole milk and whole milk plain yogurt to equal the amount of buttermilk needed. (so 1/8 cup/30ml of each whole milk and whole milk yogurt, equaling 1/4 cup/60ml)
.jpg "Mixed Berry Cobbler")
.jpg "Mixed Berry Cobbler")
.jpg "Mixed Berry Cobbler")
.jpg "Mixed Berry Cobbler")
.jpg "Mixed Berry Cobbler")
.jpg "Mixed Berry Cobbler")
HOW TO MAKE MIXED BERRY COBBLER
This is really such a simple dessert. It does involve using your oven, but only for half an hour or so. Some things are just worth it.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 7 by 11 inch baking dish really well. Set aside.
Sift the flour, soda, cream of tartar and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle, cream together the butter and 1/3 cup (63g) of the sugar on low speed until light in texture. Beat in the egg until smooth. (Alternately you can use an electric hand mixer.)
.jpg "Mixed Berry Cobbler")
Add the flour, alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Mix the berries with the remaining sugar and scatter them in the baking dish. Spoon the cake batter over the top in dollops.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until the filling is bubbling and a toothpick inserted into the cake batter comes out clean.
Let stand for 10 minutes and then serve warm, spooned into bowls with scoops of vanilla ice cream or pouring cream if desired.
.jpg "Mixed Berry Cobbler")
If you would prefer you can make a biscuit topping. This one is a simple version. You will need:
- 3/4 cup (105g) plain all purpose flour
- 3 TBS sugar
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 3 TBS butter, cold and cubed
- 1/4 cup (60ml) cold buttermilk
- buttermilk and coarse sugar to glaze
.jpg "Mixed Berry Cobbler")
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Drop in the butter and cut it in with a pastry blender, or two round bladed knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the buttermilk until evenly combined.
Take out spoonful's of the dough and gently flatten and stretch it with your hands. Place haphazardly on top of the fruit. Brush with buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar.
Proceed to bake as per the recipe, until the fruit is bubbling and the biscuit topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
.jpg "Mixed Berry Cobbler")
This is really good served warm, spooned into bowls, topped with vanilla ice cream or pouring cream. I have never had a person turn down a bowl of this yet!
Some other great cobbler recipes on the blog are:
BUMBLEBERRY COBBLER - Containing random bits of all of the berries we have available at the moment, the only real requirement being that there be at least three different types of berries. Lightly flavored with lemon sugar and topped with a crumbly buttery, vanilla infused scone topping and baked until the berries are all bubbling up and sweet, the scone topping is browned and crisp, and the whole thing together is one delicious mass of tasty cobbler goodness.
SKILLET CHERRY COBBLER - This really is a very simple recipe, which enables you to get on with doing other things. Its as simple as popping your filling into an oven-proof skillet and topping it with an easy buttermilk biscuit topping.
Mixed Berry Cobbler
Yield: 12
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 55 Min
There are about as many varieties of cobblers as there are people. This one boasts an almost cake type of topping. Its delicious served warm and spooned into bowls with ice cream.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (105g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 TBS (1/4 cup/60g) butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) sugar divided
- 1 small free range egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup (60ml) buttermilk
- 1 1/2 pints (3 cups) mix of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 7 by 11 inch baking dish really well. Set aside.
- Sift the flour, soda, cream of tartar and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle, cream together the butter and 1/3 cup (63g) of the sugar on low speed until light in texture. Beat in the egg until smooth.
- Add the flour, alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
- Mix the berries with the remaining sugar and scatter them in the baking dish. Spoon the cake batter over the top in dollops.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until the filling is bubbling and a toothpick inserted into the cake batter comes out clean.
- Let stand for 10 minutes and then serve warm, spooned into bowls with scoops of vanilla ice cream or pouring cream if desired.
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
Well, its the weekend and I always like to share a new baking recipe with you at the weekend. This week I am sharing an easy shortcake recipe, which has a very autumnal feel to it.
Apple & Blackberry Shortcake. Apple and Blackberry season is upon us now and this is a really delicious way to use some of those lovely fruits.
I have always felt that there is a very good reason that certain fruits, vegetables, proteins, etc. come into season at the same time. That is because they are a perfect fit for each other.
Or maybe we have made them into a perfect fit for each other because they come into season at the same time. Whatever it is, apples and blackberries go together like peas and carrots.
Although apples do stay with us throughout the winter, blackberries are with us for only a short time. I try to use them as often as I can when they are in season.
I was very spoilt in the UK as they grew wild and free for the picking in all of the hedgerows! This time of year you will often see people standing by the hedges with buckets picking berries to their hearts content.
They are called Brambles over there and there are only two rules to follow when picking them. One wear a long sleeved shirt and gloves if you have them. This protects you from the prickles. Two soak them in water when you get them home. This helps to remove any worms or insects. They float to the top.
We are all familiar with strawberry shortcake. Every year we treat ourselves to that old favorite and enjoy it immensely.
This year I thought why not an apple and blackberry shortcake? Why not indeed!!
It puffs up golden brown on top of that biscuit dough and provides a beautiful backdrop for the apples and berries as you can see.
In fact, you could serve this with any fruit topping. I cannot think of any fruit or berry it would not go with. Use your imagination!
Peaches and raspberries would be lovely! Roasted plums! Pears and cranberries. Mango, pineapple and banana . . . just pick any type of fruit you enjoy!
You do need a six-inch round cake or pie tin to bake it in, however. That is the only drawback, unless you double the recipe and bake it in a 9-inch pan. Its up to you.
The recipe cuts into four nice slices, which is enough for two with leftovers for another night. Or for a small family of four on the night.
The biscuit base is very easy to make and uses a boxed biscuit/baking mix, or you can make your own baking mix as I usually do.
I have included the recipe for that. I often have a container of it in my freezer ready to use when I need it. It comes in really hand for all sorts.
One way that this recipe for the shortcake base differs from others is that it boasts a sweet meringue topping. It bakes on top of the biscuit base.
It puffs up nice and brown and goes really well with whatever fruit you are using.
It puffs up nice and high in the oven, but don't worry, it does sink as it cools.
It just gives a lovely crisp yet marshmallow-like base in addition to the biscuit. Something a tiny bit different.
The fruit topping is also very easy to make. Its as simple as sautéing some apple slices in some butter in a skillet, along with some brown sugar and warm baking spices.
Once they have softened slightly and begun to caramelize you throw in some blackberries and take it off the heat. The blackberries cook only the slightest in the heat of the pan, maintaining the integrity of their shape, etc.
I have kept the fruit topping a bit on the tart side because of the sweetness of the base with the meringue and all.
There is such a thing as too much sweet.
This was beautiful served with some vanilla ice cream on the side. Whipped cream or clotted cream would also go very nicely.
Oh my, I miss the luxury of clotted cream. I am going to have to try to make my own sometime, but I do have my doubts about that. Somehow I don't think it will ever taste the same.
Anyways, if you are looking for a nice, quick and easy dessert to serve this Labor Day weekend, you cannot go wrong with this one!
Blackberry & Apple Shortcake
Yield: Serves 2 with leftovers
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
This autumn shortcake is a beautiful dessert, with a quick and easy biscuit base topped with a meringue topping prior to baking. Served with lush blackberries and apples spooned over top, a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream goes very nicely with this dessert!
Ingredients
For the shortcake:
- 1 1/4 cups (160g) baking mix (see my recipe or use a brand like Bisquick)
- 1 1/2 TBS granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 TBS melted butter
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 1 large free range egg white
- 2 TBS granulated sugar
- 2 TBS icing sugar
For the fruit topping:
- 2 sweet eating apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch each of ground cardamom and grated nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup (145g) blackberries
Instructions
- First make the shortcake base. You will need a six inch round cake tin. Butter it well and line with two strips of parchment paper, in a cross shape. (Leave an overhang to lift the cake out with when done.)
- Preheat the oven to 375*F.
- Stir the baking mix, 1 1/2 TBS of sugar, melted butter and milk together until a dough forms. Press the dough into the bottom of the cake tin.
- Whisk the egg white together until foamy. Keep whisking adding both the granulated and icing sugar, a bit at a time, until stiff peaks form and the mixture is glossy.
- Spoon this mixture over top of the biscuit base, swirling it decoratively.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown and puffed.
- Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for 10 minutes before loosening the edges and lifting out onto a cooling rack or a plate.
- To make the fruit topping, place the apples, butter, brown sugar, spices and salt into a small skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally over medium high heat until the apples are somewhat softened and beginning to caramelize, but are still holding their shape. Remove from the heat and stir in the blackberries. Let cool to room temperature.
- Cut the cake into wedges and serve with some of the fruit topping spooned over top, along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Delicious!
Homemade Baking Mix
Yield: Makes about 6 cups
This is so easy to make. I like to keep mine in the freezer, but you can keep it at room temperature for several months.
Ingredients
- 700g plain flour (5 cups, all purpose)
- 3 TBS baking powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 220g of solid white vegetable fat (Crisco or Trex, 1 cup)
Instructions
- Put the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a food processer and blitz for a couple seconds. Add half of the fat and blitz for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining fat and blitz again for about 30 seconds. The mixture should resemble fine bread crumbs. Store in an airtight container.
- Use as per any recipe requiring a baking mix.
Notes:
Note: You can also do it by hand using a pastry blender.
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