Blueberry Cobbler Recipe
Cobbler has come to be synonymous with a too-sweet top crust over a too-sweet filling. The result is, er…you know. This recipe sweetens both of the key elements only slightly, so as to let the taste of the fruit shine through.
For the biscuit topping:
6 ounces (a generous cup) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 ounces (scant 1/4 cup) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces butter (or 1 ounce each butter and lard), cold
1/2 cup lukewarm buttermilk
For the filling:
7 cups blueberries
3 ounces (scant 1/2 cup) sugar
grated zest of 1 1emon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
pinch cinnamon
pinch salt
Preheat your oven to 375. Combine all the ingredients for the filling and pour into a pie plate (it will form a mound in the plate, but don’t worry, it will cook down). Put the pan on a cookie sheet and put the sheet into the oven. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and thickened.
Meanwhile, prepare the biscuit topping. Combine the flour, sugar, leavening and salt, then rub in the fat until the texture resembles coarse meal. Measure out the buttermilk and have it ready.
When the fruit is ready, take it out of the oven and turn the oven up to 425. Combine the buttermilk with the biscuit mix, and with a spatula, bring the ingredients together gently into a dough. Tear the dough into eight pieces, and place on top of the hot filling. Sprinkle the biscuits with sugar and put the pan into the oven. Bake for 15=20 minutes, until the biscuit topping is browned. Let rest about twenty minutes and serve with vanilla ice cream.
I am a huge fan of cobbler so I was intrigued to see how you were going to make it, because the word cobbler can simply mean having roasted fruit covered with some kind of crust. I like the idea of having a biscuit as the topping of this cobbler, however there are a few interesting things about your biscuit recipe. In the recipe it says to use either butter or lard. Lards melting temperature is a lot higher then our body temperature so would it give the biscuits a greasy mouth feel. Cold freezing butter would be the best for this application. Also, the use of lukewarm buttermilk, why not use ice cold buttermilk. The colder the butter in a biscuit ensures a fluffier and more delicate texture. The blueberry filling looks really good with the use of lemon and salt to cut the sweetness of the overall filling.
Hey Courtney!
Thanks for weighing in again. I wonder if you’re thinking of shortening. That does indeed have a higher melt point than butter. The melt point of lard (in particular leaf lard, which I like for baking) is actually, on average, lower than that of butter. It melts at about 87 degrees Fahrenheit where butter melts at about 90. Firmer back lard can have a somewhat higher melt point, and that may also be what you’re thinking of. Regardless, the texture and mouthfeel of these biscuits is excellent, not greasy at all, and the extra bit of piggy flavor adds a nice complexity I think. As for the lukewarm buttermilk, that was intentional as well. My own feeling is that a perfectly raised biscuit is a bit too light for cobbler. A little density — at least for me — is nice here.
But as they say: to each their own! Let me know if you try this. I’ll be interested!
Cheers,
– Joe