Wild Blackberry Cobbler

Recipe By : Bon Appetit, May 1984
Source: Gathered years ago from rec.recipes
Serving Size : 6

Ingredients:

4 cups blackberries. (up to 5 cups wild blackberries)
14 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons butter, cut into 10 pieces
1/3 cup milk

Method:

1. Bring berries, 12 tablespoons sugar and cornstarch to the boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly.


2. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat.


3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 8 inch square baking pan.


4. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Cut in 8 tablespoons of butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually add milk and blend until mixture just comes together.


5. Turn dough out onto generously floured surface and knead several times. Roll dough out to a rectangle ¼ inch thick.


6. Drape dough in prepared pan, allowing excess to hang over 2 edges. Pour in berry mixture. Bring edges of dough up to enclose mixture. Make several slashes in top of dough. Dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bake until pastry is lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Serve cobbler immediately.

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NOTES :

We had no blackberries in the house, so I used one cup of raspberries, two cups of blueberries and just over a cup of apples.
We don't have an 8 inch baking pan, so made do with what we do have. That meant that the dough did not come to a close over the top of the cobbler. It made no difference to the taste, and even made it look more rustic. The very full berry mixture didn't even so much as attempt to climb over the edges of the turned-over dough edges.

The third of a cup of milk was not quite enough - possibly closer to a quarter cup (or a third and a good splash).
The cooking time was pretty much 30 minutes in a 200°C oven, so don't let this go too long without checking in your own oven. Any longer and it wouldn't have been a lovely golden brown, but a step into the chocolate burned range. :)

Don't forget to use your own judgement about the amount of sugar too. If you know the fruit you are using are more/less tart, then adjust accordingly.

Oh, and Mr OhWaily enjoyed this with cream, while I was a glutton and teamed it with vanilla ice cream. Most satisfying, all round.