Saturday Eats - Blueberry Cobbler

I love this time of year when we start seeing more fresh fruits and produce come into the store.  It's still early in the season for a lot of local items but there were some nice looking blueberries at the store. I made a batch of blueberry bacon cornbread for my husband to have on hand for his breakfast in the coming week, but I still had LOTS of blueberries.

Time to make blueberry cobbler.  The recipe came from a friend and was modified slightly for our tastes and it's a hit every time I make it.

My husband has been working on all his days off rebuilding our whole front porch support system (we had some rotten timbers underneath) and building by hand new steps with a safety rail that's easier for an older with arthritis or younger person to grip than the large hand railing and meets the Village building code. Still some sanding and painting to do next weekend (we're under a thunderstorm watch) but I think it turned out nice and he deserves a treat.

The cracked sugar top is made by pouring boiling water over the sugared batter layer without stirring and then popping it into the oven with the water still pooling on top. The result, a crisp, sugary top with moist, fragrant cake underneath. The berries need no extra sugar and have the perfect level of subtle tartness which balances the whole dish.

MMMMM. This makes another wonderful cobbler, with that cracked sugar crust and a very juicy base. It didn't even need ice cream.

It's very simple and was assembled in less than 15 minutes with just two bowls.

In a cereal bowl add 1 and  1/2 teaspoons Braggs apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice) to 1/2 cup milk, stir and let sit to sour it (or use buttermilk)

In a 10 x 10 or 11 x 7 shallow casserole place 2 pints (roughly 4 generous cups) of fresh picked blueberries, sorted and washed (this makes for a very juicy cobbler).

In a medium sized bowl mix:

1 and  1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamon
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
the soured milk mixture
5 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Whisk with a spoon until pretty smooth and pour and smooth over the fruit (it will be quite thick)

Sprinkle with a mixture of :

1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Then  pour 1 cup boiling water over the top of the batter:

Do not stir!

Immediately and carefully place in a preheated  350 degree  F. oven and bake about 45 - 50 minutes (until golden and a toothpick stuck into the top layer comes out clean.)

When it's out of the oven, sprinkle on another tablespoon of sugar, if you wish.

It's good for a treat on a sunny afternoon or even heated up to have for breakfast with coffee.

You can just leave that with me Mom.