In-season summer fruit with a rich biscuit topping baked until bubbly and delicious. If desired, serve portions of cobbler with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 41 to 43 minutes
Makes: 8 servings
For the filling:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp cornstarch
* pinches ground nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 cups hulled and sliced fresh strawberries (see Note)
2 cups fresh blueberries
2 cups fresh raspberries
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Preheat oven to 375 F. Place the sugar, cornstarch, spices and zest in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the berries and lemon juice and use a thin spatula to gently mix and coat berries with sugar mixture. Spoon filling into a 9x9-inch baking dish. Set dish in the oven and bake, uncovered, 25 minutes, until filling is hot.
For the topping:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
* pinches ground nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, melted (see Note)
1/3 cup (2 per cent) milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp granulated sugar
While the filling bakes, make the topping by combining the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt and spices in a medium bowl. Combine the butter, milk and vanilla in a small bowl. When the berry filling has baked 20 minutes, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. You should end with a just sticky, pliable dough.
When the filling has baked 25 minutes, remove from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 425 F. Twist off 16 small, equal pieces of biscuit dough and form into loose balls. Place them on the hot filling, creating four rows of four (there should be a little space between each biscuit). Sprinkle each piece of dough with a little sugar. Bake until the filling is bubbling and the biscuit topping is golden and cooked, about 16 to 18 minutes. Place a baking pan on the baking rack under the cobbler just it case some of the filling bubbles over. Cool the cobbler 15 minutes and serve warm. You could also serve at room temperature.
Note: I used juicy and flavourful local strawberries in this recipe. 1/3 cup butter, melted, means you measure a 1/3 cup of butter and then melt it. I did that by placing it in a bowl and zapping it in the microwave until melted.
