Nicely sweet and lightly lemony, this blueberry cobbler is such a treat. Read on to learn the secret to making a cobbler with light, flaky, perfectly cooked (not dry) biscuits. Fruity and festive, this is a wonderful dessert to make for summer entertaining.
I don’t think I’ve ever disliked a cobbler I’ve eaten, but what I love about the Cook’s Illustrated recipe is this: the blueberries bake without a biscuit topping for 25 minutes or until they begin to bubble around the edges. At this point, you drop the buttermilk biscuits over the berries, then continue to cook the cobbler for 15 to 20 minutes more at a higher temperature.
The idea is that the blast of heat from the bubbling berries helps cook the underside of the biscuits, while the hotter temperature of the oven nicely browns the top. The result? An evenly cooked — not dry! — tender, golden biscuit.
It makes sense: when you make biscuits as biscuits , they never take more than 15 to 20 minutes. So baking biscuits for close to an hour, as many cobbler recipes suggest, can lead to a dry topping.
I find this cobbler to be perfect: light, flaky biscuits bobbing atop perfectly sweet, lightly lemony, stewy berries. Vanilla ice cream is a must.
How to Make Blueberry Cobbler, Step by Step
First, prepare your berries: place them in a deep 9-inch baking pan or a shallower 10- to 11-inch pan.
Toss them with lemon zest, sugar, and cornstarch.
Bake the berries for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the biscuit topping: Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Add cold, sliced butter and work it into the dry ingredients using the back of a fork.
Add the buttermilk and stir until you have a cohesive mass. Shape the mass into a log, then cut into 8 pieces.
Drop the biscuit topping over the hot berries, brush with butter, sprinkle with sugar, then return to the oven and cook until the biscuits are evenly golden brown.
Let cool briefly, then serve with vanilla ice cream.
Description
Nicely sweet and lightly lemony, this blueberry cobbler is such a treat. The secret to making a cobbler with light, flaky, perfectly cooked (not dry) biscuits? Cook the berries alone first; then top with the biscuit topping and continue baking until done. Fruity and festive, this is a wonderful dessert to make for summer entertaining.
This recipe has been adapted from Cook’s Illustrated.
A few notes:
Sugar: If you’ve made this before and loved it, make it with 100 grams of sugar in the filling. I have been reducing the sugar in many of my berry desserts, because it often feels like too much. Recently I made this with 50 grams of sugar in the filling, and I found it to be plenty sweet.
Cornmeal: If you don’t have it, simply use 20 grams more flour.
Pan Options: If you’d like to use a 9×13-inch pan, double the biscuit topping (without doubling the quantities of baking powder and baking soda).
9-inch pan: Make sure it’s at least 2-inches deep.
10- to 11-inch pan: One-inch deep is fine.
for the filling:
- 1/4 (50 grams) to 1/2 cup ( 100 grams ) sugar, see notes above
- 1 lemon
- 6 cups ( 850 grams ) fresh blueberries, rinsed and picked over
- 1 tablespoon ( 8 grams ) cornstarch
- Pinch salt
for the biscuit topping:
- 1 cup ( 128 grams ) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons ( 20 grams ) stone ground cornmeal, see notes above
- 1/4 cup ( 50 grams ) sugar
- 2 teaspoons ( 8 grams ) baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ( 1.5 grams ) baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ( 2 grams ) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) cold unsalted or salted butter, cubed
- 1/3 cup ( 88 grams ) buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon ( 5 grams ) vanilla extract
for finishing:
- 2 teaspoons milk for brushing
- 2 teaspoons turbinado sugar (or other) for sprinkling
for serving:
- vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream
- Prepare the oven: Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Prepare the filling : Place the sugar in a large bowl. Zest the lemon into the sugar and use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar — this releases the oils in the zest and makes the lemon flavor more pronounced. Add the berries, cornstarch, pinch of salt, and juice of half of the lemon (about 1.5 tablespoons). Using your hands, toss to combine.
- Bake the filling: Transfer the berry mixture to a 9- or 10-inch pie plate or other similar vessel (see notes above), place pan on a rimmed baking sheet (not necessary if using 9×13-inch pan) lined with parchment paper, and bake until the filling is hot and bubbling around the edges, about 25 minutes.
- Make the biscuit topping: Meanwhile, whisk the flour, cornmeal, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl to combine. Cut the butter into small pieces and use the back of a fork to work it into the dry ingredients. If necessary, use your fingers to work the butter into smaller pieces. Five minutes before the berries come out of the oven, add the buttermilk and vanilla to the flour mixture and mix to combine. Pat the mixture into a ball or a rectangle and roughly divide into 7 equal pieces.
- Finish the cobbler : Remove the berries from the oven; increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Drop the pieces of biscuit dough on the hot berry filling, spacing them about a 1/2 inch apart. Brush biscuits with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until the filling is bubbling and the biscuits are golden brown on top and cooked through, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool the cobbler on a wire rack 20 minutes (or less) and serve.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Nicely sweet and lightly lemony, this blueberry cobbler is such a treat. The secret to making a cobbler with light, flaky, perfectly cooked (not dry) biscuits? Cook the berries alone first; then top with the biscuit topping and continue baking until done. Fruity and festive, this is a wonderful dessert to make for summer entertaining.
This recipe has been adapted from Cook’s Illustrated.
A few notes:
Sugar: If you’ve made this before and loved it, make it with 100 grams of sugar in the filling. I have been reducing the sugar in many of my berry desserts, because it often feels like too much. Recently I made this with 50 grams of sugar in the filling, and I found it to be plenty sweet.
Cornmeal: If you don’t have it, simply use 20 grams more flour.
Pan Options: If you’d like to use a 9×13-inch pan, double the biscuit topping (without doubling the quantities of baking powder and baking soda).
9-inch pan: Make sure it’s at least 2-inches deep.
10- to 11-inch pan: One-inch deep is fine.
for the filling:
- 1/4 (50 grams) to 1/2 cup ( 100 grams ) sugar, see notes above
- 1 lemon
- 6 cups ( 850 grams ) fresh blueberries, rinsed and picked over
- 1 tablespoon ( 8 grams ) cornstarch
- Pinch salt
for the biscuit topping:
- 1 cup ( 128 grams ) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons ( 20 grams ) stone ground cornmeal, see notes above
- 1/4 cup ( 50 grams ) sugar
- 2 teaspoons ( 8 grams ) baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ( 1.5 grams ) baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ( 2 grams ) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) cold unsalted or salted butter, cubed
- 1/3 cup ( 88 grams ) buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon ( 5 grams ) vanilla extract
for finishing:
- 2 teaspoons milk for brushing
- 2 teaspoons turbinado sugar (or other) for sprinkling
for serving:
- vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream
- Prepare the oven: Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Prepare the filling : Place the sugar in a large bowl. Zest the lemon into the sugar and use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar — this releases the oils in the zest and makes the lemon flavor more pronounced. Add the berries, cornstarch, pinch of salt, and juice of half of the lemon (about 1.5 tablespoons). Using your hands, toss to combine.
- Bake the filling: Transfer the berry mixture to a 9- or 10-inch pie plate or other similar vessel (see notes above), place pan on a rimmed baking sheet (not necessary if using 9×13-inch pan) lined with parchment paper, and bake until the filling is hot and bubbling around the edges, about 25 minutes.
- Make the biscuit topping: Meanwhile, whisk the flour, cornmeal, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl to combine. Cut the butter into small pieces and use the back of a fork to work it into the dry ingredients. If necessary, use your fingers to work the butter into smaller pieces. Five minutes before the berries come out of the oven, add the buttermilk and vanilla to the flour mixture and mix to combine. Pat the mixture into a ball or a rectangle and roughly divide into 7 equal pieces.
- Finish the cobbler : Remove the berries from the oven; increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Drop the pieces of biscuit dough on the hot berry filling, spacing them about a 1/2 inch apart. Brush biscuits with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until the filling is bubbling and the biscuits are golden brown on top and cooked through, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool the cobbler on a wire rack 20 minutes (or less) and serve.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2015/06/19/blueberry-cobbler/
CSA Week 2: arugula, mixed greens, head lettuce, radishes, turnips, scallions, peas, bok choy, broccoli rabe, basil, cilantro, cucumber, garlic scapes, and summer squash.
What I am most excited about this week: this crème fraîche salad dressing : Whisk together 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar with 1/4 cup crème fraîche and a pinch of salt , then slowly whisk in 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil . The crème fraîche not only helps the dressing quickly emulsify but also makes the dressing taste slightly creamy without tasting heavy — it has been so good on all of the greens.
My basil tired much more quickly this week, so I stuck the stems in a couple glasses of water. I ended up using half of the bunch immediately but was pleased to see that the remaining basil…
revived! This photo was taken yesterday, three days after I received the basil, and it’s still looking strong. If you are looking for more guidance re storing herbs, read this Serious Eats post (thank you, Ileana , for passing it along!) — I learned so much (like how to store cilantro in your fridge for 51 days).
Because I was worried about the basil , I ended up puréeing it with all of the garlic scapes and all of the cilantro , along with a few scallions , olive oil (started with 2/3 cup), and vinegar (started with 3 tablespoons). I seasoned it with salt and thinned it out with more olive oil and vinegar. The taste of this green sauce is very similar to the harissa without the heat. I dressed both a pasta and grain salad with it this week — very nice to have on hand.
Garlic scapes will keep for months in your fridge. You can chop them up finely and use them as you would garlic cloves. They are particularly good in scrambled eggs .
Turnip Burgers : Inspired by these beet and farro burgers , I gave my turnips the same treatment: here, both the turnips and their greens go into the food processor with herbs and rice, which allows the patties to come together in a snap. Fresh breadcrumbs hold the patties together, and a mix of seeds gives the burgers a crunchy texture. They brown and crisp so nicely stovetop and are particularly good with hummus (though tahini sauce would be delicious) and these zucchini pickles .
What I love about these turnip burgers is that you can form them ahead of time, store them in the fridge and fry them up as you wish — there are no eggs, so there’s nothing to worry about regarding storage or handling (short-term anyway).
Here are a few more ideas for using those turnips (thank you for sending them along!): Roasted Turnips with Cilantro Peanut Sauce
What’s left? We ate the peas — so good! — and the cucumber sliced up immediately just raw as a snack. I still haven’t used the summer squash , broccoli rabe or the bok choy . I will likely make some sort of raw, julienned squash salad with Pecorino with the summer squash.
Now for the bok choy. I imagine I will slice it up, sauté it, and dress it in some sort of sesame-soy sauce. Thoughts? What would you do with an enormous head of bok choy?
