eG Cook-Off #73: The Fruits of Summer

[David Ross]

This year's summer cop of huckleberries in the region of the Pacific Northwest where I live are fabulous.  June was wet and mild, then the heat didn't come until mid-July resulting in big berries.  The man I buy them from at the farmer's market told me yesterday he's still got more than he can pick waiting for him in the mountains.  This is a huckleberry cobbler recipe from last year, and so far this summer the most popular recipe I've shared with friends.  The same basic recipe works with other summer berries like blueberries and blackberries.  

Cast-Iron Skillet Huckleberry Cobbler-

 

For the huckleberry layer-

3 tbsp. butter

4 cups fresh wild huckleberries (substitute frozen huckleberries or blueberries)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

dash of salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon

 

For the cobbler layer-

1/3 cup Crisco shortening

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup heavy syrup from a can of pineapple slices make sure to use heavy syrup rather than 100% pineapple juice so the cake batter is the right consistency.

1 large egg

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

 

Make the huckleberry layer-

Heat the oven to 350.

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat on the stove-top. Add the butter and melt. Add the huckleberries, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Once the huckleberries start to bubble, turn off the heat.

 

Make the cobbler batter and bake-

In the bowl of a mixer, add the shortening and sugar. Beat at low speed to combine. With the mixer running, add the pineapple syrup, egg, and vanilla. Beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add to the creamed mixture and beat until thoroughly combined. Add some water if the batter is too thick.

Spoon the batter over the top of the huckleberries and smooth the top so the batter seals over the huckleberries. Place the skillet in the oven and bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let the skillet cool on a cookie rack for 10-15 minutes. Serve the cobbler with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Hey, I thought this might fit here too!

 

 

 

Blueberry.

 

 

 

[Katie Meadow]

David Lebovitz"s Moelleux of Summer Fruits, currently featured on his website, is dynamite. I've made it twice, the first time with plums and the second time with peaches. Both excellent, but we preferred the plum, as the fruit was tart. I made two changes. Both times I used the reverse ratio of AP flour to almond flour, so the balance was in favor of AP flour. The second time I made it,  instead of a tsp of vanilla I subbed in !/2 tsp vanilla plus 1/4 tsp almond extract, which I really liked. 

 

The plums didn't need to be peeled, making it even easier. We're talking very simple recipe here; basically the whole thing can be put together in the time it takes to heat the oven. Plums are my favorite summer fruit for baking. Many varieties work well in baked goods and many are available all summer and into the fall. And because they are so common, it's easier to find them in the right stage of firmness and/or ripeness. And mediocre plums get sweeter and tarter when baked. DL recommends using apricots, which I'm sure would be delicious, but timing is everything, and their season is short.

 

Speaking of plums, I've made several small batches of jam. If you have an excess of berries they can be mixed in with the plums. I don't bother to peel plums for jam, so it's easy to make in small batches for immediate use. And plums are so forgiving! Very ripe is perfect for jam, but even somewhat ho-hum plums make good jam. Just throw in half a scraped vanilla bean and a splash of framboise or cassis.

 

As usual, @David Ross, your huckleberry porn is as annoying as can be. If they grew in these parts I would train in bear-wrestling. A huck shake was one of the high points of my life. And that was followed by huck pie.

 

 

[David Ross]

4 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

David Lebovitz"s Moelleux of Summer Fruits, currently featured on his website, is dynamite. I've made it twice, the first time with plums and the second time with peaches. Both excellent, but we preferred the plum, as the fruit was tart. I made two changes. Both times I used the reverse ratio of AP flour to almond flour, so the balance was in favor of AP flour. The second time I made it,  instead of a tsp of vanilla I subbed in !/2 tsp vanilla plus 1/4 tsp almond extract, which I really liked. 

 

The plums didn't need to be peeled, making it even easier. We're talking very simple recipe here; basically the whole thing can be put together in the time it takes to heat the oven. Plums are my favorite summer fruit for baking. Many varieties work well in baked goods and many are available all summer and into the fall. And because they are so common, it's easier to find them in the right stage of firmness and/or ripeness. And mediocre plums get sweeter and tarter when baked. DL recommends using apricots, which I'm sure would be delicious, but timing is everything, and their season is short.

 

Speaking of plums, I've made several small batches of jam. If you have an excess of berries they can be mixed in with the plums. I don't bother to peel plums for jam, so it's easy to make in small batches for immediate use. And plums are so forgiving! Very ripe is perfect for jam, but even somewhat ho-hum plums make good jam. Just throw in half a scraped vanilla bean and a splash of framboise or cassis.

 

As usual, @David Ross, your huckleberry porn is as annoying as can be. If they grew in these parts I would train in bear-wrestling. A huck shake was one of the high points of my life. And that was followed by huck pie.

 

 

Thanks!  Surprisingly so far this year we haven't heard of any bear sightings up in the high alpine areas.  In some seasons the bears are everywhere, but maybe this year with such a good huckleberry season they're sticking to their normal eating spots.  I bought more berries yesterday and there are more weeks to go.  Tommorrow I'm doing a hucklberry panna cotta for the first time.  

[heidih]

All this berry talk reminded me of my first jam experiment. We lived on a side of the peninsula with no canyons and thus no berries. In this arid Mediterranean climate canyons have the creeks. Also before the plethora of berries we see almost year round in every supermarket now. My sister adored Knotts boysenberry. So I bought a can of berries. Made the jam, and sealed it with hot wax (that was fun). It was really good. She still remembers it.She was7 and I was 11. 

Edited August 21, 2020 by heidih (log)