Monday, 7/12/2010

In a little less than two weeks, Ben and I will be the photographers for our friends Laura and David's wedding. They came over tonight so that we could discuss their shot list and have dinner. We grilled bbq chicken breasts and asparagus, and I made roasted garlic couscous to go with it. For dessert I made Flaky Cherry Cobbler which we topped with vanilla ice cream. It was heavenly--if I do say so myself:)

On our way back from Spokane last week, I purchased bing cherries at the Thorp Fruit & Antique Mall. After realizing Ben wouldn't eat any of them, it seemed like a good idea to make a dessert with them. There was no way I could eat them all before they went bad. I found a recipe for the cobbler in a cookbook called "Small-Batch Baking" by Debby Maugans Nakos. All of the recipes are created for 1-2 people. I purchased the cookbook years ago and this is the first time I have actually used it. Here's the recipe:

FLAKY CHERRY COBBLER

Makes 2 cobblers; serves 2

For the Filling:
2 cups fresh Bing cherries, pitted, or frozen sweet cherries, thawed and drained
1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch

For the Topping and For Serving:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cold unsalted butter, diced
2 1/2 tablespoons cold buttermilk
2 1/2 tablespoons cold whipping (heavy) cream
Ice cream, sorbet, or topping of choice

Baking Dishes Required:
Two 1- to 1 1/2 cup ovenproof bowls or ramekins, or one 2-cup souffle dish or casserole

Directions:
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease the baking dishes with unsalted butter and set them aside.
2. Make the filling: Place the cherries and the almond extract in a medium-size mixing bowl, and toss to mix. Add the sugar and cornstarch, and toss to blend. Transfer the cherry filling to the prepared baking dishes, dividing it evenly between them. Bake until the filling is hot, 15 minutes.
3. Make the topping while the filling is baking. Place the flour, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-size mixing bowl and whisk to blend well. Add the butter pieces and toss to coat the butter with the flour mixture. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it resembles coarse meal.
4. Combine the buttermilk and cream in a small bowl, and stire to blend. Sprinkle the buttermilk mixture over the crumb mixture, tossing it with a fork until the dough comes together.
5. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls over the hot filling to cover it. Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar evenly over the top. BAke until the topping is golden and cooked through, 23 t0 25 minutes; a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the topping should come out clean.
6. Remove the baking dishes from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Serve warm, with your choice of ice cream or topping.

I doubled this recipe, baking in two- 2 cup ramekins. I did some ingredient prep work during the day to make it easier to put the dessert together during the evening. I combined the dry ingredients in a bowl, diced up the butter and refrigerated it, combined the buttermilk and whipping cream, made up two bowls of sugar and cornstarch--one for each ramekin, and washed and pitted the cherries. When Laura and David arrived, I started putting the dessert together. By the time we were ready to eat dinner, the cherries had cooked down and the topping was ready to be spooned on. The baking was done about when we finished eating, leaving plenty of time for them to cool while we chatted and did a little cleanup. The timing was great and the dessert was fantastic. What a perfect summer treat!

I forgot to take a photo of the cobbler tonight. I think I will have to make it again in a couple weeks when we have more company. I'll be sure to get a photo that time.