How To Make A Cobbler With (Almost) Any Fruit!

There are certain phone conversations with my mom that I absolutely cherish the memories of. These usually involve her greeting me with a certain tone of voice that immediately indicates what she’s about to discuss with me: the prepping of desserts! My mom’s a great cook, but baking isn’t her forte, so when it comes time to whip up a baked treat or two, she invariably reaches out to me for recommendations and recipes. And I make it a point to suggest dessert recipes that are clear, straightforward --- and forgiving!

This brings me to my favourite dessert: a Fresh Fruit Cobbler. It’s a treat I recommend time and again, be it to my mom or any other friends who happen to be looking for a simple yet exquisite dessert recipe. Experience level can be completely disregarded when it comes to a failsafe dessert like a fruit cobbler, especially since it sidesteps the need for creaming butter or meticulously folding in flour. Instead, it only requires the whisking together of flour, baking powder and salt, and combining them with eggs, sugar, butter and milk. The best part? You don't even need a mixer.

Now, I absolutely love making pies. However, there are times --- like very hot summer days --- when the appeal of pies diminishes, especially when I don’t want to spend too much time in a baking kitchen (pun intended!). At such moments too, the fruit cobbler is a hero, ready in under an hour.

The cobbler surpasses pie in terms of its simplicity, versatility and speed of prepping, making it an ideal treat for the summer. It can accommodate any type of fruit or a combination thereof, and is forgiving even if you don't have the recommended four cups of fresh fruit (see recipe below) --- a small amount of frozen fruit will do in a pinch.

You will need:

For the topping :

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons softened butter
• 2 tablespoons milk

For the filling :

• 1/2 cup dry sherry, brandy or bourbon or any fruit juice of your preference
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• Approximately 4 cups fresh diced or sliced fruit; alternatively, you may use berries

To make the cobbler:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease a pan measuring around 9 inches, or a casserole dish with a capacity of 2½ quarts.
2. Begin preparing the topping by combining the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and whisking them together.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar then add in the butter and milk.
4. Combine the ingredients with the mixture, stirring until they are just mixed. It's okay if you can still see some bits of butter. (Bits of butter always make cobbler better!)
5. Pour the batter into the pan.
6. For the filling, gently simmer your chosen liquor or juice with sugar over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
7. Make sure to coat your fruit with this mixture before pouring it over the batter.
8. Bake for 30 minutes until you see bubbles forming and a light brown color on top.
9. Serve your cobbler warm with a dollop of whipped cream or scoop of ice cream.
10. If you have any leftovers, they can be stored at room temperature for a couple of days. Refrigerated for up to four days. For longer storage, you can freeze them.

Pro tip:

• When choosing fruits for your cobbler, go for berries, stone fruits (cherries, peaches, plums), apples or pears.
• To adjust the sweetness in your fruit filling, always taste it first before adding sugar. If the fruit is fully ripe, you can reduce the amount of sugar used. However, if it’s not quite ripe or lacks sweetness, then go ahead with the quantity specified in the recipe.