Huckleberry Skillet Cobbler
I have a soft spot for anything cooked in an iron skillet. The rustic simplicity still has a subtile elegance that warms my heart.
Ingredients
-
1 1/2 cups
plus 2 tbsp. sugar (if using blueberries, decrease to 1 cup plus 2 tbsp.), divided
-
1/3 cup
quick-cooking tapioca
-
1/2 teaspoon
cinnamon
-
1/2 teaspoon
ground cardamom
-
1 tablespoon
fresh lemon juice
-
2
qts. (2 1/2 lbs.) fresh or frozen huckleberries* or blueberries
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Buttery Pastry
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1/2 tablespoon
milk
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-
1 cup
crème fraîche
Preparation
- 1. Preheat oven to 400°. In a 12-in. ovenproof frying pan or a
9- by 13-in. baking dish, combine 1 1/2 cups sugar (1 cup if using
blueberries), tapioca, cinnamon, and cardamom. Gently mix in lemon juice
and berries. Let stand, stirring occasionally, for tapioca to soften
slightly, 15 minutes (50 minutes for frozen berries; they'll start to
look wet). Spread berries level.
- 2. On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll out pastry
to a 14-in. round or 10- by 14-in. rectangle, lifting up pastry and
re-flouring underneath if needed to prevent sticking. Trim uneven edges
with a knife. Slide a rimless baking sheet under pastry and ease it over
berries. Fold edges of pastry under so they're flush with pan or dish,
pressing together any cracks. Flute pastry edges with a finger and thumb
to seal.
- 3. Brush crust (but not fluted edges) with milk and sprinkle with
remaining 2 tbsp. sugar. Cut about 6 vents in crust to release steam.
Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling through vents,
50 to 60 minutes; tent with foil if pastry starts to get too brown, and
put a rimmed baking sheet underneath if the cobbler starts to bubble
over.
- 4. Supporting cobbler underneath, carefully transfer to a rack and
let cool at least 45 minutes. Serve warm or cool, with crème fraîche to
spoon on top.
- *Buy huckleberries from specialty produce markets or pick your own,
from your garden if you grow them or from the wild. Huckleberries range
from blue-purple to red and even white; they thrive in subalpine forests
and meadows in many Western states. In the Cascades, respect posted
areas reserved for the Yakama Indian Nation.
- Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.
