A while back I had a photo of the hedge by the road with the berry bushes in flower. They are not the standard blackberries...those are just flowering now.
I'm not really sure what kind they are since they were well established when we moved her over 20 years ago, but there are two kinds, both ripening at the same time. One kind has long, thin berries and they are very dark when ripe. The other has very rounded berries which are quite juicy and still have a red cast when ripe.
Today I picked enough berries to make a cobbler for dinner. I mixed the two types together. Usually I try to combine them with peaches in the cobbler, but peaches are still expensive since it is early in the season for them. For some reason the long thin and round reddish berries are earlier than usual, too.
A fruit cobbler is a fairly simple dish, especailly if you use pancake mix for the topping. A fresh berry one welcomes in the cobbler season. Once they are cooked, the berries are soft, sweet and give up lots of the juice that tastes so good with the cobbler topping and some rich cream or ice cream. Later in the season you can make it with regular blackberries, peaches, plums, apricots, and apples, too.
Since I will be gone again this weekend and will miss Breadchick's birthday, Happy Birthday!...this blackberry cobbler is for you! We joined the Daring Bakers the same month and you are a super baker. Wish I could eat it with you on your birthday, but I'll bet you'll have something wonderful that day. 
Blackberry Cobbler
Based on my Mom's peach cobbler
2 cups fresh blackberries (or frozen, but thaw first)
1/4 cup sugar (or to taste)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
For the topping:
1 cup Bisquick or other pancake mix
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F., Combine berries, sugar, nutmeg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cornstarch in a shallow ovenproof bowl or casserole dish. Bake in the oven until hot and bubbly and juice thickens.
Mix the topping ingredients together. Batter should drop easily from a spoon. When the berries ar hot, open the oven, drop the dough on top of the hot fruit in globs, leaving small spaces between the dough. Sprinkle with additional tablespoon of sugar if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the topping is golden brown. Serve with cream or ice cream.
Since it is strawberry season, you can substitute equal parts of hulled, sliced strawberries and sliced rhubarb for the berries. Increase sugar to taste.
Elle! Thank you so much!!! I think homebaked goods are the best present I could ever receive for my 2nd Anniversary of my 39th Birthday!!! The cobbler looks scrumptious, divine, and so yummy! I am going to have to try this recipe in a few weeks when our blackberries and strawberries are fully ripe. Hope you enjoy your holiday! Thanks again for the lovely wishes!!
ReplyDeleteI have not tried to make anything with blackberries yet. Your cobbler looks so good I think I will have to try something inspired by it soon.
ReplyDeleteFabulous cobbler, Elle! We use to have the bush with the longer berries too - I always assumed they were just normal blackberries until I saw blackberries in the store.. way different. Tasty though! :D
ReplyDeletexoxo
Oh, this brings back lovely memories. We used to grow blackberries at our old house. Once you've tasted fresh picked blackberries warmed by the sun, nothing compares. Your cobbler looks lovely and I'll bet tastes even better!
ReplyDeleteElle, your cobbler is sweet and beautiful, but your care for another person is more.
ReplyDeleteOh the beauty of blackberries! This cobbler is a very lovely outfit for your lush blackberries!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Breadchick!
Great job Elle.
What a wonderful thing a cobbler is and lucky you - you have fresh berries to pick for it. Very Nice!
ReplyDeleteBreadchick, you are as young as you feel...happy b'day!
ReplyDeleteCheryl, blackberries make the best cobbler.
Lis, those long ones are strange looking, but tasty.
Kellypea, my finger are still stained and I'll admit that I ate a few while picking.
Patricia, thanks, you are sweet, too.
Tanna, blackberries are lush aren't they?
Claudia, When I lived in the city I was known to stop at roadside blackberry bushes and help myself...I blame my dad...we did just that when I was a kid. It is nice to have them nearby, but we have a chicken house completely covered in blackberry vines...sort of like Sleeping Beauty's castle, so they can be too much. :)
You should make blackberry ice cream, those berries look sooo good!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great fried you are!
ReplyDeleteI miss blackberry picking...
Beautiful cobbler!
Blackberries or brambles as they are known in Scotland haven't appeared here yet, but oh that looks like a lovely pudding to make with them :)
ReplyDeleteI thought I had commented on this one, blogger must have eaten it.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow it looks wonderful, we call them brambles here, can't wait for them to appear!
My grandpa used to have blackberry bushes on his farm. They were so delicious right off the vine. I am jealous of you and your blackberries and your beautiful cobbler!
ReplyDeleteI have been watching the blackberrys in the field behind our house. Apparently someone (or something) else was too. When I went to get some they were all picked over.
ReplyDeleteI love a hot cobbler with some icecream. Yummy!
Beautiful cobbler! I'm getting hungry just looking at it and the delicious blackberries.
ReplyDeleteBrilynn, Ice cream sounds like a great idea. And maybe a syrup, too.
ReplyDeleteHelen, Wish you could come pick some here.
Kelly-Jane, These are an early variety. True blackberries won't be ripe for another month. When do yours come in?
Sandi, OOhhh a low-grade blackberry thief...the worse kind. Hope you have neighbors or friends with some extra.
Blackberry cobbler is one of my favorite comfort food. Love it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.Yours look so drool-worthy!
ReplyDeleteThis looks fantastic - I have been looking for a lower-fat cobbler recipe (don't want to use too much butter) and yours looks perfect! Thanks! I will definitely be trying this.
ReplyDelete