Google+ House Revivals: Huckleberry Cobbler Recipe

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Huckleberry Cobbler Recipe

This is a re-post from an old blog I am shutting down.  I've decided to start including recipes on House Revivals, so some of the old posts can be repeated here, like this yummy skillet cobbler! Here it is:

As many of you know, we are in the throes of moving out of our Colorado house.  This transition has taken us several months, and has involved going through things, throwing out things, donating things, and recycling things.  Just today I was going through what I think is the last small stack of magazines-- ripping off the address labels (why, since I'm moving? I don't know), and flipping through them one last time before donating them.  And I ran across this recipe from the August issue of Sunset.

Yum.  Huckleberry Skillet Cobbler.  Doesn't this look amazing?

Suddenly, I can't wait for summer!  I'm going to try this recipe over the campfire.  I usually just stick to simple recipes like baked apples, or bananas, wrapped in foil and placed in the campfire coals, but I think I need to get a little more creative this year.


The place where we vacation has tons of huckleberries, so I'm just so excited to try this dessert!  Isn't it beautiful?  Here is the recipe from Sunset-- you can find this recipe, plus complete nutritional information on the Sunset website, here.

Cobbler:
Time: 1 3/4 hours, plus at least 45 minutes to cool. One of our all-time favorite desserts, with just a hint of spices to pull out the complex, wine-rich flavor of the huckleberries—and also delicious made with blueberries.
Yield: Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2  cups  plus 2 tbsp. sugar (if using blueberries, decrease to 1 cup plus 2 tbsp.), divided
  • 1/3  cup  quick-cooking tapioca
  • 1/2  teaspoon  cinnamon
  • 1/2  teaspoon  ground cardamom
  • 1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
  • 2  qts. (2 1/2 lbs.) fresh or frozen huckleberries* or blueberries
  • Buttery Pastry
  • 1/2  tablespoon  milk
  • 1  cup  crème fraîche

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°. In a 12-in. ovenproof frying pan or a 9- by 13-in. baking dish, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar (1 cup if using blueberries), tapioca, cinnamon, and cardamom. Gently mix in lemon juice and berries. Let stand, stirring occasionally, for tapioca to soften slightly, 15 minutes (50 minutes for frozen berries; they'll start to look wet). Spread berries level.
2. On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll out pastry to a 14-in. round or 10- by 14-in. rectangle, lifting up pastry and re-flouring underneath if needed to prevent sticking. Trim uneven edges with a knife. Slide a rimless baking sheet under pastry and ease it over berries. Fold edges of pastry under so they're flush with pan or dish, pressing together any cracks. Flute pastry edges with a finger and thumb to seal.
3. Brush crust (but not fluted edges) with milk and sprinkle with remaining 2 tbsp. sugar. Cut about 6 vents in crust to release steam. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling through vents, 50 to 60 minutes; tent with foil if pastry starts to get too brown, and put a rimmed baking sheet underneath if the cobbler starts to bubble over.
4. Supporting cobbler underneath, carefully transfer to a rack and let cool at least 45 minutes. Serve warm or cool, with crème fraîche to spoon on top.
*Buy huckleberries from specialty produce markets or pick your own, from your garden if you grow them or from the wild. Huckleberries range from blue-purple to red and even white; they thrive in subalpine forests and meadows in many Western states. In the Cascades, respect posted areas reserved for the Yakama Indian Nation.

Buttery Pastry:
Time: 5 minutes
This recipe goes with Huckleberry Skillet Cobbler
Yield: Makes 1 cobbler crust; 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 2  cups  flour
  • 3/4  cup  cold butter, cut into 1-in. pieces
  • 1  teaspoon  sugar
  • 1  teaspoon  fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2  teaspoon  salt
  • 1/4  cup  plus 1 tbsp. heavy whipping cream

Preparation

Put all ingredients in a food processor and whirl just until dough comes together and is evenly moistened. Gather into a ball, then shape into a flat disk.

*the huckleberry bush photo is from the International Wild Huckleberry Association website.