Tuesday, June 24, 2008

TWD: Mixed Berry Cobbler


This week's Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) recipe was chosen by Beth of Our Sweet Life: Mixed Berry Cobbler. The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it year round. While fresh berries also work in this, Dorie actually intends for this recipe to be made with a bag of frozen mixed berries. Not only does this make the recipe practical, it also makes it very affordable. You can use any type of frozen berry (individually frozen, not in syrup), but if you are particularly fond of strawberries, you'll have to pare back on them, as they contain too much liquid to be used in this recipe. I used a bag of frozen mixed berries containing blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. I heeded Dorie's warning and only included a few of the strawberries in the bag.


Dorie describes the cobbler topping as biscuit like. I think that's a very appropriate description for the texture of this crust. While several other TWD bakers complained that the crust lacked flavor and did not enjoy it, I thought it was quite good. My only complaint about the recipe is the crust to fruit ratio - there aren't nearly enough berries in this cobbler if you only use the indicated 5 cups. I prefer much more fruit in my cobbler and will probably double the amount of fruit in this the next time I make it. My husband, however, who is a crust lover, had no complaints whatsoever. So I guess it just depends on personal preference! :) I also used a trick I learned from my favorite cobbler recipe when making this - I brushed the top of the crust with some milk and sprinkled it with granulated sugar to add a little extra sweetness and a nice crunch to the the top.


I did have one small problem with this cobbler - the baking time. I found that even at 75 minutes, the upper end of Dorie's recommended baking time, the crust was still raw in the middle. I had to bake it for an additional 30 minutes before it was fully baked throughout. What's nice though, is that Dorie has you cut out a little hole in the middle of the cobbler, which makes it very easy to check the crust for doneness. If you find yourself baking the cobbler for a longer period of time like I did, be sure to cover it up with foil before it goes from golden brown to burnt!



So how did it compare to my favorite cobbler recipe? It was good, but I will probably stick with my old favorite for a few different reasons: (1) the spices add a nice subtle flavor to the crust (2) it uses milk instead of heavy cream and I could not taste a difference in Dorie's crust with the heavy cream - I prefer to consumer fewer calories if possible :) (3) the brown sugar lends the crust a sweeter flavor than the plain white sugar.


Thanks again to Beth for choosing the Mixed Berry Cobbler. It was so simple to make and perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you would like the recipe, you can find it here (with recipe tips here), or on Our Sweet Life. Make sure you visit the TWD Blog Roll to see everyone else's cobbled creations.

39 comments:

  1. What a good looking cobbler! I'm sure it was really good with the ice cream!

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  2. For me the last picture is the best, absolutely delicious looking cobbler!
    Ulrike from Küchenlatein

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  3. Wow, your crust does look really thick. Doubling the fruit probably would be a good idea. I'm glad you liked it though!

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  4. wow, that looks delicious! i'd want more berries on my cobbler too.

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  5. Your cobbler looks wonderful!

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  6. Spectacular!! And using the frozen berries was a great idea!!

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  7. Thanks for the tips on taking the photos! I hope they'll help make my pictures look as good as yours!

    And, although you thought there might be a bit too much crust, your crust looks absolutely perfect! I want to bite right into it!!!

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  8. I'm a crust lover, so your cobbler looks perfect to me, especially with the ice cream on top!

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  9. I'm lovin' that first photo!
    Looks scrumptious!

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  10. lovely pics! i agree about the crust/berry ratio, i made mine in a smaller dish so there were more berries in proportion to the crust.

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  11. I love how moist it looks in contact with the berries.

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  12. Your cobbler looks great! Your photos are beautiful! I am used to making cobbler with milk too, so this version tasted very different to me.

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  13. look how THICk YOUR BISCUIT IS! I may have made mine too thin! but it was so good - and so easy...

    yours looks just great...nice job!

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  14. Wow! the only standing piece of cobbler I've seen today!
    You must have a tendancy to... magical baking!
    Great job!

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  15. Yes, that does seem like a lot more crust and not enough fruit. Tasty all the same though.

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  16. that's an impressive crust, and it cut so nicely!

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  17. Looks great, particularly your crust!

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  18. Your slice of cobbler looks perfect!

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  19. WOW...check out that crust! your cobbler looks fantastic!!

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  20. Your slices look ridiculously perfect.

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  21. Wow, gorgeous! I agree with you, I wanted more berries and less crust. It was good, though! Thanks for the link to your favorite cobbler recipe -- I'm still searching for mine.

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  22. that does indeed look like an awful lot of crust, but i wouldn't discriminate. i'd eat every bite and more than likely go back for seconds. :)

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  24. WOW! your crust is SO thick and biscuity! mine did not get nearly as high...but i also rolled it quite thin. i added way more fruit than crust...i am a fruit lover!

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  25. Your pics are beautiful! Your cobbler looks delicious, well done!

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  26. I love the thick crust! It looks tasty! Great job!

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  27. I love the *slice* of cobbler. it looks absolutely delicious!

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  28. Oh my,
    Your pictures make that cobbler look so tempting! What a great looking recipe!

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  29. Looks so so good! And I agree with your husband, the more crust the better! I would've loved this ratio. That was the first thing I thought when I saw it actually.

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  30. Your pictures capture the warm homey summery goodness of this recipe perfectly... great job!

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  31. It looks beautiful!!
    I agree on both the amount of fruit and cooking time so there is no raw crust~ I like the milk & sugar idea, YUM!!

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  32. I was up all night with sick children and a sick husband. Looking at this delightful cobbler, I know a big slice of this will get me through this day.

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  33. The cobbler does look delicious although I tend to agree with you on the fruit to crust ratio.

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  34. Holy smokes. That is quite a crust. It looks really tasty, especially with the vanilla ice cream.

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  35. The pie shaped wedge looks beautiful. I wish I'd cut mine like that. Delicious!

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  36. That looks good! It has been too long since I have had a cobbler.

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