A Trip to the Blueberry Farm and Yummy Cobbler!

A trip to Oregon would not be complete without a trip to the Blueberry Farm.  It had just opened for the season so the bushes were laden with blueberries.  I learned that there are many different varieties of blueberries and that I should sample from the bush to make certain that I like that particular variety...well, I learned that there isn't a blueberry that I do not enjoy!

Mr. T. had help from Miss S.  "Dat?" ..... In the bucket...what is it?

Miss S helped with the sampling to make certain they met with her approval.

We picked so many blueberries...it was so worth the effort.

As I searched for the perfect blueberry cobbler I found a recipe in The New Best Recipe by the editor's of Cook's Illustrated.  They had some recommendations for improvement over the traditional recipe so I decided to give it a try.  We were not disappointed!

They recommend a biscuit topping instead of a rolled topping.  Acknowledging that sometimes cooks shy away from the biscuit top because there is difficulty getting them to cook through, they offer a solution.  Bake the berries alone first then drop the biscuit dough on top.  The heat from the berries helped to cook the biscuits from underneath while the oven heat cooked them from above!

Blueberry Cobbler

The New Best Recipe

Editor's of Cook's Illustrated

Serves 6-8

Filling

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1/8 tsp or pinch ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp or pinch salt

6 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and picked over

1 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Biscuit Topping

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp stone-ground cornmeal

1/4 cup plus 2 tsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp cinnamon

Adjust oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375° F.

Filling

Stir the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl.  Add the berries and mix gently until evenly coated.  Add the lemon zest and juice and mix to combine.  Transfer the mixture to a 8-inch square baking dish or a 9-inch pie plate.  Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the filling is hot and bubbling around the edges, about 25 minutes.

Biscuit Topping

Whisk the flour, cornmeal, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl to combine.  In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk and vanilla.  In another small bowl, mix the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar with the cinnamon and set aside.

One minute before the berries come out of the oven, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; stir with a rubber spatula until just combined and no dry pockets remain.

Assembly

Remove the berries from the oven.  Increase the oven temperature to 425° F.  Pinch off eight equal pieces of biscuit dough and place them on the hot berry filling.  Space them at least 1/2-inch apart. Sprinkle each mound of dough with the cinnamon and sugar .  

Bake until the filling is bubbling and the biscuits are golden brown on top and cooked through, about 15-18 minutes.  Cool the cobbler on a wire rack 20 minutes and serve.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

I must admit to giving Miss S just a tiny taste of the blueberry filling...don't tell her mother.

I am participating in Foodie Friday hosted by Michael at Rattlebridge Farm.