Summer Berry Cobbler

Not long after first meeting, my good friend, Ali, and I discovered that we both love to be in the kitchen. We'd talk excitedly about the great meals and desserts we planned to make and then would hash out all the "shoulda, coulda, wouldas" afterwards. At some point, it came about that we should (one day) open up a store front together. The exact contents of this hypothetical store have changed over the years. Sometimes we plan to make it a bakery, or perhaps a bookstore / bakery (so I can have story time) and other times it's a cupcakery. Lately, though, I've thought it should be a tea house so I can spend my days baking scones and pretending to be British.

This grand scheme of ours has taken a bit of a set back, now that Ali has recently moved 2,881 miles away (but who's counting?). Regardless, we still chat regularly about our latest kitchen adventures and baked goodies. Last week Ali told me about the berry cobbler she made, using berries from a local farmers' market. It sounded fabulous and so I asked her to share it here on my blog.

I can't wait to try it myself...

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I am so excited to make my first contribution to Leslie's blog! Having a food blog is always something I have wanted and she so graciously has let me contribute to hers. I thought that I would post one of my favorite summer desserts, Summer Berry Cobbler. I love farmers markets and getting fresh produce, so when we went to the one at the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle, I found this gorgeous flat of summer berries. This recipe is an easy way to include all of these wonderful berries (plus the blueberries I already had in the fridge). I couldn't wait to get home and get started!

What is not to like about some freshly cut berries, cinnamon, lemon juice, and zest all mixed together?

Then to add more yumminess, (I hope that is a word) you dollop the berries with homemade scone mix. The original recipe has you put blueberries in the scone mix, but I liked it better without them.

Right before it gets ready to go in the oven... it already looks so good! The cook time says 25-35 minutes. I would go closer to the 35, since the scone mix can take a little longer to cook. When I've cooked it in less time, it has come out a little doughy, so just make sure that you cook it long enough!

All done and ready to eat! I like to make a little fresh whipped cream to top mine off. What a great addition to a summer day!

My daughter thought it was pretty tasty too! Here is the recipe, enjoy!

Summer Berry Cobbler
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(This recipe has been adapted from Food Network Kitchens)

You'll need...

Berry Mix

1 pint blueberries

1 pint raspberries

1 pint blackberries

1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced in half

1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used a little less to cut back on the sugar)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

juice and zest from half of a lemon

Scone Mix

2 cups unbleached flour, plus more for rolling berries (if you use them)

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. unsalted butter, chilled; cut in chunks

3/4 c. buttermilk or cream (I have used both)

1 egg

1 pint fresh blueberries (if you decide to use)

a few tbsp. melted butter and granulated sugar, for drizzling and dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine berries with sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest (if using). Gently stir to combine. Spread berries out on a 10-inch tart or gratin dish. Set aside and make scone mix.

In large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and mix thoroughly. Cut in butter using 2 forks or a pastry blender (I have also used a food processor and it works just fine on pulse.). The butter pieces should be coated with flour and resemble crumbs.

In another bowl, mix buttermilk and egg together, and then add to the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated - don't overwork the dough.

If you are going to use the blueberries in the scone mix, roll them in flour to coat then fold in the blueberries into batter.

Dollop spoonfuls of scone dough evenly over the top of the fruit. Leave a border around the edge of the dish for spreading. Drizzle the surface with a few tbsp. of melted butter and dust with granulated sugar. Set on a cookie sheet and make for 25 - 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the fruit juices are bubbling (Just make sure that the dough is cooked all the way. I have made it before where the top is golden, but dough isn't cooked all the way through yet).