I’m back! Well, actually I’m still on holiday for the next week, in Umbria, but I’ll be working at the same time. The miracle of being able to do my work from where ever I am.
What have I been up to? A lot of cooking and eating, of course. But I’ve also been doing things I usually don’t have time for. Swimming (I’m up to 50 laps a day) and taking long walks each morning. Usually by this time of year walks in the Umbrian country side have to take place early in the morning, before the heat sets in by 10am or so. But this year the weather has been completely different. Cool temps and intermittent rain has made the usually dry parched August landscape into a verdant wonderland. With dry, cool breezes to that make hiking a joy.
But there is another upshot of this weather that kind of interferes with the walk: blackberries. This year’s cool, damp weather has resulted in a bumper crop of plump, sweet and luscious berries. Which are almost impossible to pass up during my morning walk. Since I walk before I have breakfast, I usually end up downing a few handfuls of these by the time I get home. Which sort of puts a damper on my usual brisk pace.
Once home I have almost zero desire to go back out with my basket. Luckily for me, my friend Jane has been here and she is obsessed with foraging. So we have been inundated with kilos and kilos of blackberries.
While Domenico focusses on the semi-science project ritual of jam making (he loves the whole ratio of sugar to fruit thing) I’ve been making pies, cobblers and crumbles.
A cobbler, in case you didn’t know it, is a sort of topless pie, cooked in a cake pan. At least that’s my definition of it. It’s a bit easier than a traditional pie, since you only have to make one crust and the edges benefit from being kind of ragged. Other recipes for cobbler are for more of a biscuit dough that is spooned on top of the pan, without a bottom crust.
While very pretty right after it’s baked, it doesn’t really slice up like a real pie, since it’s missing the architecture of top layer of crust. Instead, I scoop it up and plop it in a bowl, each portion topped with some of the crispy edges.
Whipped cream or ice cream is a given. And actually not much of a problem since I am walking and swimming it all off each morning.
blackberry cobbler
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 8
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 stick / 110 grams cold butter
- 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
- 6 cups fresh blackberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 stick 60 grams butter
- sugar for sprinkling
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
- 9 inch oven proof pan with sides that are at least 2 inches. I use a cake pan.
Instructions
- Mix the berries with the 1/2 cup of sugar and set aside.
- Combine the flour and salt in a food processor. Give it a whizz to mix.
- Add the butter, but up into chunks. Process until it is a very rough mealy texture. Don’t over process. Add the water, slowly, only enough until it comes together into a ball.
- Gather the dough, form into a ball, and flatten it between two pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap.. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400F/ 200 C
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 16 inches in diameter. It can be rough.
- Use the rolling pin to transfer it to the pan, draping the extra crust over the edges.
- Mound the berries in the middle, and then bring the crust up over the top. Dot the berries with the remaining butter, and sprinkle some sugar on the exposed crust.
- Bake for about 45 minutes on the middle rack. The middle should be bubbly and the crust browned.
- Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
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If the whole idea of pie dough making scares you, just follow Evan Kleiman‘s video tutorial which you can download here.
What is that gorgeous platter that EXQUISITE cobbler is on? Obviously Italian, but by who and where did you get it? LOVE your blog
Thanks so much! This is a platter I got about 20 years ago, in Puglia. It’s from a company called Fasano, in Grottaglie. If you go to there website you can look at the catalogue. My pattern is a really old one, that I don’t think they make anymore. But there are similiar ones on page 69, with stamped fruit at the edges. They have gorgeous things! http://www.fasanocnf.it/index_eng.php
Elizabeth
I so enjoy your blog. I will be visiting Rome starting Sept 13th through the 19th and on to Sorrento for another week on the Amalfi Coast. You have supplied us with such wonderful information that I was wondering if there are any things we must do or see in either location or if anything special might be happening during those dates.
thanks for your time,
Joan
Thank you, and so glad you are finding the blog helpful. For Rome restaurant info I hope you download my app, Eat Italy. And for the Sorrento area you will find the app, Amalfi Essentials, very helpful (the link is in the sidebar). Off hand I don’t know of any special events during that time. But perhaps you would like to accompany me on a Food Tour? The link for that is in the side bar too.
Beautiful, and my very favorite!
Umbria and blackberry cobbler. Sounds pretty close to heaven to me.
What a gorgeous, rustic looking cobbler. I want to bite my screen!
Picking them can be a bit of a chore, what with all those prickles but then….yummy things happen later! Love them mixed with blueberries in desserts too!
Ciao Elisabeth,
What is the difference between cobbler and a crostata. I’ve just started attempting to bake….
My “crostata” is done free form on a baking sheet with parchment – using peaches, various berries,and if I’m brave, one with mushrooms, leeks and bacon.
I sprinkle the filling with flour and mix – flip the edges over and bake.
It then leaks all over the parchment…..how to stop the juices from escaping???
Can you help?
Grazie mille
Cynthia
There are quite a few differences between a crostata and a cobbler, one of the main ones being in the dough. The crostata dough is almost impossible to roll out, and definitely needs a tart pan to keep it from breaking apart. The cobbler dough is more flexible, and is basically a pie crust dough. It is more sturdy and flexible and so you can use it for a free form rustic tart or cobbler.