Cobbler Wars

I think wars have probably been fought over cobblers.  Or at least Very Strong Arguments.  There’s a whole category of easy, fruit-in-a-container-topped-with-stuff recipes:  cobblers, grunts, crumbles, Bettys, crisps, crumbles, etc (did I mention crumbles?) and people will seriously argue over the proper thickener, the right topping, biscuits versus pastry, streusel, nuts versus no nuts and on and on.  Let the madness stop here.  I’m just going to go on the record and say that there is no definitive cobbler recipe.  Like so many other dishes–casseroles, pilaf, yeast bread–this is more about a technique or a procedure than it is about a recipe.

Now that we have that whole pesky recipe issue out of the way, let’s look at the actual procedure:

Toss some fruit with some sweetener, flavorings and thickener
Mix up some sort of pastry or crumbly/streusely topping.
Put some of the pastry or topping in a baking dish (or not).
Top with all of the fruit mixture.
Top fruit with the rest (or all) of the pastry/streusely topping.
Bake until bubbly and delightful.
Let cool slightly.
Put in your face.

So, what are some fruit choices?  Endless.  Next?  Sweeteners:  sugar, honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, agave nectar.  Toppings:  pastry dough, streusel (butter, flour, sugar, salt), oatmeal streusel, ground nuts, granola, biscuit mix–even cake batter.  Can you add some dried fruits?  Yes.  Shredded coconut?  Yes.  How about a splash of orange juice or maybe some liqueur?  Yes and yes.  Are you getting the picture?  There’s really no way to mess a cobbler up.  That’s not to say that lots of folks don’t have some Very Specific Ideas about what a “good cobbler” is.  So what?  Make it how you like it, and if they don’t like it, then they can just go hungry.

Ideas

Toss nectarines and blueberries with some brown sugar and honey, a pinch of salt, a little minced candied ginger and some cornstarch.  Put in a baking dish and dot the top with butter.  Top the whole thing with oatmeal streusel flavored with some ginger, cinnamon and ground, toasted almonds or pecans.
Toss Granny Smith apples with a pinch of salt, a tiny splash of bourbon and a healthy squirt of cinnamon flavored agave nectar.  Mix in some cornstarch and toss into a baking dish.  Throw in some candied pecan pieces.  Top with  a rolled pie dough, brush with cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Put some rolled pastry dough in the bottom of a baking dish.  Bake until golden.  Toss pitted cherries with some tapioca,  a pinch of salt, some  sugar, a pinch or two of mace and a wee splash of Amaretto.  Put that on top of the baked crust.  Top with more rolled dough and bake until golden brown and delightful.

And there you have it–three off the cuff ideas for cobbler/crisp/crumble–whatever you want to call it.  If you want to get into the minutiae of these desserts, they do have some differences.  A Betty is made with white bread.  Grunts are usually steamed on the stovetop.  Crisps and crumbles are, well, crisp and crumbly.  Cobblers are supposed to remind us of cobblestone streets.  I don’t know about you, but cobblestone streets make me think of Sweeney Todd and Jack the Ripper, but whatever works for you, I guess.  Painted in broad strokes though, these desserts should provide folks with low-stress, simple ways to get some sweetened fruit and some dough into their faces without too much fuss.  They also come in handy as an excuse to break out the ice cream.  A la mode, don’t ya know.

You can argue about double crust versus deep-dish versus biscuit top all you want.  La, la, la.  I-will-not-listen-to-you.  I’m too busy eating dessert.