Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Mixed ripe and not so ripe fruit


Suvir Saran

Recommended Posts

I forgot to mention that the first time I made the Paula Dean cobbler, I substituted 1-1/2 cups of 2% milk with 1/2 cup heavy cream, as I had no whole milk. The second time, I had no cream, but only 2% milk and it came out fine—well, except for the salted butter business.

I would think either cream would be fine, but will defer to better bakers. I'm not the scientific kind of baker, but the intuitive. I have great beginner's luck, but have a hard time replicating great results, which just means it's time to move on to new territory. :smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Use whatever cream you have. I have worked with all cream and no milk, and in fact enjoyed the biscuit even more so. :shock: I have changed Varmints recipe in that I only use buttermilk and heavy cream.

On Sunday, I had no buttermilk, so all I used was heavy cream and lemon juice. The biscuit was superb. On saturday I used butter milk and heavy cream.

All the best with your cobbler. And thanks for your kind words.... I have learned so much from Varmint, tana and the rest of you. eGullet never stops fascinating me with its members brilliance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You just reminded me that we've got three gigantic blackberry patches on our property, and it's high time I got out there with the kidlets and picked some. Blackberry pie, mmmmmmmmmm. My fourteen-year-old daughter is an amazing baker.

Very very jealous. :raz: I love blackberry pie and cobbler. Can we see a picture of what your talented daughter bakes? I am sure you have something to do with her baking talents. Baking is my therapy. And I started at the age of 11. Whilst I am no Steve Klc or Lesley Chesterman or any other trained pastry chef, I have found baking to be quite liberating and also wonderfully challenging in some ways. It is also a delicious and beautiful treat to share with those one loves. Life is made both sweet and special with the addition of pastry. Simple cobblers are addictive and healing and nurturing. Upside down cakes a treat for the hungry soul and tired mind. A good pots de creme a decadence for anyone overwhelmed by the mundane and the list goes on, at least for me and my sweet loving friends.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did the Paula Deen Cobbler this evening and changed a few things, some of which worked and some obviously did not, since the batter never rose through the fruit while baking. First, I cut the recipie in half, guessing at the quantity for one of the Emile Henry deep die dishes Suvir mentioned. I am not too good at estimating yet, and I forgot about the RLB chart in The Pie and Pastry Bible; four cups of fruit would have been just fine. Anyway, I used 1 1/2 cups peaches and 1/2 cup blue berries. I used natural brown sugar, which should not have been a problem should it? I thought the batter looked a little thin, so added more flour. Why I thought I should know what is thin and what is not is beyond me. So the batter did not rise through the fruit. It stayed glued to the bottom, resulting in a thick, dumpling-like quality. Was it good anyway? Yes, ideed, topped with whip cream. If I do four or five versions of cobbler and their near cousins over the next week or two I may get it right. Love that research.

Thanks again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did the Paula Deen Cobbler this evening and changed a few things, some of which worked and some obviously did not, since the batter never rose through the fruit while baking. First, I cut the recipie in half, guessing at the quantity for one of the Emile Henry deep die dishes Suvir mentioned. I am not too good at estimating yet, and I forgot about the RLB chart in The Pie and Pastry Bible; four cups of fruit would have been just fine. Anyway, I used 1 1/2 cups peaches and 1/2 cup blue berries. I used natural brown sugar, which should not have been a problem should it? I thought the batter looked a little thin, so added more flour. Why I thought I should know what is thin and what is not is beyond me. So the batter did not rise through the fruit. It stayed glued to the bottom, resulting in a thick, dumpling-like quality. Was it good anyway? Yes, ideed, topped with whip cream. If I do four or five versions of cobbler and their near cousins over the next week or two I may get it right. Love that research.

Thanks again.

Richard,I have been using extra fruit. I should have made that clear sooner. My apologies. Those Emile Henry dishes are indeed deep and wide. Almost double the fruit, but the same topping.

Keep us posted on your cobbler adventures. It is fun to play with summer berries and fruits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This "peach cobbler" recipe has been around for ages -- I first saw it in an old southern cookbook from the 40s. It works well with cherries, berries, but peaches are where it's at for me. I don't cook the peaches, as I like the fresher flavor. I actually prefer to use salted butter, too, as the salt is somewhat concentrated in the crunchy crust of the dough, giving it a very nice contrast in flavor to the sweetness of the rest of the dish.

The cobbler was a big hit with Weka and edemuth. I served it with vanilla bean ice cream and a raspberry sauce. This is a dish that is so simple that even Mrs. Varmint makes it from time to time!!!

Dean McCord

VarmintBites

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Suvir --- You managed to get almost eight cups of fruit in the EH deep pie dish? Man, that is a huge pie dish! I will try the Varmit version next. It is close to what I have done in the past in a dutch oven when camping.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Suvir --- You managed to get almost eight cups of fruit in the EH deep pie dish? Man, that is a huge pie dish! I will try the Varmit version next. It is close to what I have done in the past in a dutch oven when camping.

As is usual for me with fruit pies, I managed to get in over 8 cups really. The EH deep dish can take almost 9 plus cups. Close to 10, but not quite. It is a very generous sized pie dish.

I have enjoyed the Varmint version and made it several times. Today, it will be made using several varieties of plums I found locally.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Emile Henry Fluted Extra Large Pie Dish

"Made from Burgundy clay at one of the few French factories that still produces authentic claywares to traditional high standards, this earthenware pie dish provides gentle, even heat distribution to help create perfect pies. This extra-large size is ideal for a crowd or for roasting meats and vegetables. The dish goes effortlessly from freezer to oven to table. 12-in diameter, 2.25-in. deep. Dishwasher safe. Made in France."

Above quote is from the cooking.com website to which I have given link below. I own several of this pie dish. I like it in ivoire, but it comes in several amazing colors. I serve the cobbler in the individual clafouti dishes that are also fluted. I have those in ivoire and olive.

Click Here to learn more about this dish or to order it. Not sure if this is the best price you can get for this dish. But it is what I found first. I am sure with some effort, anyone interested can easily find a deal out there on the net for this item. I have become quite a fan of Emile Henry products. They work beautifully with most interiors and lend a great statement in color to compliment Indian cooking.

And this dish, works very well for a generous and decadent cobbler. The depth of the dish makes it easy to have more fruit and less biscuit. In fact, even though I fill the cobbler with soooo much fruit, some friends still want more fruit. We are all greedy for tasty summer fruit. :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Richard, what is most special about the fulted EH dish is that if you have filled it generously with fruit, the fruit will come out of the oven dripping beautifully even as the biscuit topping covers the top fully. The dripping juices have a nice caramel color and a wonderful taste and make the cobbler look really that much more amazing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Suvir --- Your link solved the mystery for me. ( How does he get 8 - 9 cups of fruit in that thing?) I have a couple of the 9 inch EH pie dishes, not the 12 inch.

I had to chip the left over dough-sludge out of the pie dish from last night's mis-adventure. I stuffed it in the disposal, flipped the switch, and ducked when it threw it back at me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Suvir --- Your link solved the mystery for me. ( How does he get 8 - 9 cups of fruit in that thing?) I have a couple of the 9 inch EH pie dishes, not the 12 inch.

I had to chip the left over dough-sludge out of the pie dish from last night's  mis-adventure. I stuffed it in the disposal, flipped the switch, and ducked when it threw it back at me.

Richard, after you mentiond you had a couple of the 9 inch EH pie dishes, I checked my EH cabinet and realized I have one of the 9 inch fluted pie dish in provencal yellow. It is a bright lemon yellow. I have never used it before. What do you use it for?

It is deeper than the other 9 inch pie dishes I have... and like most all EH items, is really beautiful. Now I must learn of some use for it. :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good to have cobbler power back on again, Suvir?

I made another peach and blueberry cobler in the nine inch EH pie dish using Varmit's recipie with slight modifications: nutmeg instead of cinnamin, more cream with the buttermilk (and no milk), cooked the fruit a little hotter and longer by 5 minutes. It turned out great.

BTW, W-S has the nine inch pie dishes in lemon and lime colors on sale in stores for $16 (were something like an over-priced $32).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

nutmeg instead of cinnamin, more cream with the buttermilk (and no milk), cooked the fruit a little hotter and longer by 5 minutes. It turned out great.

Richard, you and I made the very same modifications. :rolleyes:

I love the recipe Varmint was kind enough to share.

And nutmeg is Superb. So much better for the palates I feed and inspire from my kitchen.

I find cinnamon overused and so uninspired in most pastry. Unless of course it is th bastilla dessert in Morocco, which I would only have with cinnamon.

Cooking the fruit longer did the trick for me as well. And extra cream in the pastry and no milk, worked wonders for the biscuit.

Varmints recipe, with the above variations, similar to yours, has become a favorite of my guests and mine. Varmint is hugely popular and thanked plenty every week.

But this week, I shall focus on canning some Apricot jam that is much requested by friends and family and the apricots I use, the very tiny ones, are in season and I have 5 pounds in my refrigerator, waiting for some care. More will be purchased this weekend and next. And then they dissapear, or perhaps another week and then over.

But there will be more cobbler and not sure what kind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the west coast of Canada, at the moment, we have a surplus of blackberries growing wild everywhere. Also the Okanagon peaches are at their best so...........peach and blackberry pie, peach and blackberry cobbler, etc, etc.

It is a wonderful combination (in my opinion) as the peaches cut the seediness of the blackberries and team up beautifully.

mmmmmmmmmmmm good (especially with some home made ice cream or whipping cream poured over it all) ......... :biggrin::biggrin:

Life is short, eat dessert first

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is a wonderful combination (in my opinion) as the peaches cut the seediness of the blackberries and team up beautifully.

Cannot agree more. It also makes the color so very rich.

I do enjoy a peach cobbler by itself as well. If you have perfectly ripe peaches, nothing like a great peach cobbler. I leave the skin on the fruit, and it makes for a good textural element.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Suvir - I see you have moved on to bake other things. I am still on the cobblers. You mentioned the preference for a high ratio of fruit to dough, and I have found a piece that provides a better ratio than even the 12 inch EH pie dish. There is an EH piece usually called a "handled pan" in the U.S. It will hold about eight cups of fruit and has an interior top diameter of only about 7.25 inches. I baked the fruit (peaches and black plums, sliced peel on, maybe two tablespoons sugar to keep it tart, and two tablespoons flour, sprinkle of nutmeg) for thirty minutes at a little over 400 degrees to bubbling and boiling before topping with Varmit's biscuit dough. I believe the scorching hot fruit helped prevent the dough from being gooey on the bottom at the end. The best yet in my kitchen. I'll probably try one more over the next week.

Thanks again Suvir, Varmint and Tana.

Edited by Richard Kilgore (log)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Suvir - I see you have moved on to bake other things. I am still on the cobblers. You mentioned the preference for a high ratio of fruit to dough, and I have found a piece that provides a better ratio than even the 12 inch EH pie dish. There is an EH piece usually called a "handled pan" in the U.S.  It will hold about eight cups of fruit and has an interior top diameter of only about 7.25 inches. I baked the fruit (peaches and black plums, sliced peel on, maybe two tablespoons sugar to keep it tart, and two tablespoons flour, sprinkle of nutmeg) for thirty minutes at a little over 400 degrees to bubbling and boiling before topping with Varmit's biscuit dough. I believe the scorching hot fruit helped prevent the dough from being gooey on the bottom at the end. The best yet in my kitchen. I'll probably try one more over the next week.

Thanks again Suvir, Varmint and Tana.

Richard, I have hardly moved on.

I made a delicious Plum and Strawberry Cobbler. It was superb. I used several ripe plums. All from the farmers market.

Thanks about sharing information on this EH pan... do you know if there is a link to it on the web? Maybe I can see it visually and I may realize I have it.

I love the 12 inch pan for it ensures that I make the biscuit topping thinner and friends and family that have enjoyed the cobbler, have commented on the fact that the biscuits are really refined and just enough. I freeze Varmints biscuit dough for at least 20 minutes and only then roll it out to fit the 12 inch pan. It works really well.

I shall look for this pan you mention.. and see how the cobbler comes out with it.

What cobbler are you making next?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Try emile henry and click on the French version. I do not recall seeing it in the U.S. version, but it may be there. And I don't recall exactly where on the site, but it's there. I know W-S carries them here in the U.S., so it may be on their site, too; it is (or was) in the stores.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, here it is. It's called a le coquelon, a ceramic pan made out of the same clay as the rest of the EH line.

As I had suspected, I have this pan RIchard. I use it more for roasting stuff. Shall try and use it for baking..

I love the fluted edge of the 12" clafoutis... it is so very beautiful.

Thanks for the link.

What cobbler are you making?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...