Tart Cherry Cobbler

Back in the 1980s we had a small house on about 2 acres of ground, almost every inch filled with something good to eat that my husband had planted.  We all loved the tart cherries and had to join in and pick quickly before the birds got them.  I used netting for a while, but got too upset when a bird got caught in it, although we were always able to set it free without injury.  Instead, we just kept an eye on the tree and tried to beat the birds to the harvest.

Eleven years ago, we had to leave the two acres and all its bounty behind and since then I’ve had no luck in finding fresh or frozen tart cherries – only the small cans of discolored fruit for an annual President’s Day pie.  But recently, my online friend, Darlene, mentioned on her blog that she buys tart frozen Morency cherries at her Meijer store in Columbus, Ohio.  I couldn’t wait to check out the freezer section of my Cincinnati area store, and, sure enough, they carry a 24-oz. bag.

TART CHERRY COBBLER

The Cherry Filling

• 24-oz. bag of frozen tart cherries, thawed with juice
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tblsp. quick cooking tapioca
• Pinch of salt
• 1 Tblsp. butter
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract

The Cobbler Dough:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tblsp. granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

To make the filling:

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, mix the cherries, juice, sugar, tapioca and salt.  Cook until mixture begins to boil, stirring occasionally.  Boil for another minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and almond extract.  Pour cherry mixture into a 10-inch or 1-1/2 qt. ungreased  baking dish.

To make the cobbler topping:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Cut in the shortening until well distributed.  With a fork, stir in the milk.  Drop batter by tablespoonful onto the top of the piping hot cherry mixture.*  Place baking dish on a flat pan to catch spills and bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 25-30 minutes until topping is golden brown.  Remove baking dish to a wire rack to cool.

Best when eaten warm with whipped cream/topping or ice cream.

Servings:  6

*I never had a lot of luck with cobblers until I read in an old Farm Journal cookbook that the filling should always be piping hot when the batter is spooned onto it.  This tip always works for me.

My President’s Day Pie

Blackberry Cobbler and a Berry-Loving Dog

Rusty likes blackberries.  It came as quite a surprise to me.  We had gotten Rusty from the shelter in 1999 when he was four months old.

At the time, we lived on two acres in a rural area on the Ohio/Indiana border called Blue Jay.  One day, I was preparing blackberries and looked down to see Rusty staring expectantly at me or rather, at the plump blackberry in my hand.  I had never given a tart, wild blackberry to a dog before, but that’s what he seemed to want.  He loved it.  Luckily, I had buckets of berries picked from our wild thicket in the backyard, so he got a fair share of our bounty.

I took Rusty with me when I went out to pick berries – not always a good thing for me.  I had taken off my straw hat for a minute and looked around to see this.

I wasn’t happy that my hat was all gnawed around the edges.

I scolded him a little, but not enough to warrant this sad reaction.

A year later, I wrote a piece for a web site about Rusty and his favorite fruit.

BLACKBERRY TIME IN BLUE JAY -  Rusty, our year-old hound, seems to know when the blackberries are ready for picking.  He takes off toward the back yard on a brisk trot, straining at his leash  – past the asparagus bed and rhubarb, along the border of the vegetable garden, down to the very edge of the property where the wild blackberries grow.  Rusty plucks off all the berries he can reach, always choosing the choice center berry, ignoring the thorns that prickle his nose.  We still have plenty of dark, lustrous berries to carry back to the house in our graniteware bucket to cook up into summertime treats such as Blackberry Cobbler.

That was the last summer I could put on my tattered straw hat and take Rusty down to the blackberry patch.  My husband’s condition worsened and we had to move to a property I could manage alone.   David has been gone for over 7 years, but Rusty is still with me, an elderly 12-year-old, and I still get some blackberries at the farm market and make that good Blackberry Cobbler from a recipe found in an old Farm Journal Pie cookbook.

BLACKBERRY COBBLER

¾ cup granulated sugar
1 Tblsp. cornstarch
1 cup boiling water
4 cups blackberries
1 T butter
½ tsp cinnamon or ¼ tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and continue to boil for one minute, whisking constantly.   Remove from heat and gently stir in the blackberries.

Pour this mixture into an ungreased 10” x 6 x 2 inch baking dish or a 1-½ qt casserole.

Dot with butter and sprinkle with spices.

DOUGH:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tblsp. granulated sugar
1-½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup shortening
½ cup milk

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

Stir in the milk.

Drop spoonsful of dough over the hot fruit filling.

Bake in a 400 F degree oven about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling.  Cool slightly on a wire rack.

Serve in bowls with cobbler juices.  Best when served warm.

6 servings

Rusty still gets an occasional ripe blackberry tossed his way.

Our Favorite Blueberry Pie

This recipe came from a 1976 cookbook, The Redbook Cookbook, a premium that came along with a subscription to the magazine.  It has been one of my favorite cookbooks, as evidenced by the tattered and worn cover …

…and the stained pages.

I first made this pie in 1993 when my youngest daughter requested it for Thanksgiving.  Since the other kinds of pies I baked were more popular with the family, she wound up eating the entire blueberry pie herself (over a couple of days, of course).

OUR FAVORITE BLUEBERRY PIE

• Pastry for 9” two-crust pie (See my favorite here)
• 4 cups fresh blueberries OR two 12 oz packages frozen blueberries, thawed
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar (depending on sweetness of berries)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp grated lemon peel
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 Tblsp. butter
• 1 Tblsp. milk

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl mix together berries, sugar, flour, lemon peel and juice, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt.

Place in pastry-lined pan, dot with butter.  Place top crust, brush with milk, cut vents.  Bake 45 minutes on a flat pan to catch spills.

Cool on wire rack.  Makes 6 to 8 slices of really good pie.

Mini-Apple Pie in a Jar, 3 Weight Watchers Points/Plus

My youngest daughter is a busy stay-at-home mom who always finds time to get together with me on Fridays for lunch.  I try to make meals that are tasty, quick and easy, and reduced in fat and calories.  Here is what we enjoyed this week.

My youngest daughter and I watch our food counts all the time – I do mine on DietPower software and she’s a member of Weight Watchers.  We’re great pie-lovers and pie just wrecks any diet, so I thought about making a small portion without the temptation of cutting a larger slice or having anything left over.  There is a lot of talk among food bloggers about using Mason jars and in my case, I didn’t want to store or mail the contents – I just wanted something small to bake the pie and it was nice having a lid for transporting to my daughter.

Note that I’m using the small ½-cup/4 oz.  jars – usually reserved for samples or gifts.

This little pie is just four or five bites of old-fashioned apple pie goodness – and absolute heaven for someone who has been dieting all week.

MINI-APPLE PIE IN A JAR
For one pie:

• 1 Tblsp. pie pastry*
• ½ cup thinly sliced tart apple
• 2 tsp. granulated sugar
• ½ tsp. all-purpose flour
• Dash of salt
• Sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg

*Use your favorite pastry – here’s mine.  I keep small amounts in the freezer for quick desserts.

One ½-cup/4 oz.  Mason jar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Roll pastry dough on a lightly floured board.

Use the jar to cut out one round of pastry…

…and a small cookie cutter to make cut-outs for the top (a child’s cookie cutter works nicely for this).

Place the round of pastry in the bottom of the Mason jar.

In a small bowl, mix together the apple slices,

…sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Spoon the apple mixture into the jar.  Place the cutouts on top of the apple mixture.  Place the jar on a pie plate …

…and bake @ 375 degrees F for 35-40 minutes until apples are done and crust is golden brown.  Remove to a rack to cool.

Nutritional count for one pie per my Diet Power software is: 111 calories, 3.98 g fat, 21.2 g carbohydrate, 2.75 g fiber, 0.98 g protein

Weight Watchers Points/Plus:  3

The count is for one pie but I’ve included ingredients for 2, 3 and 4 pies in case there is more than one dieter to feed.  I made three pies for supper for my two daughters and myself.  The two dieters especially enjoyed them.

For two pies:

• 2 Tblsp. pie pastry
• 1 cup thinly sliced tart apple
• 1 Tblsp. plus 1 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. all-purpose flour
• Dash of salt
• Sprinkle of cinnamon/nutmeg

For three pies:

• 3 Tblsp. pie pastry
• 1-1/2 cup thinly sliced tart apple
• 2 Tblsp. granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp. all-purpose flour
• Dash of salt
• Sprinkle of cinnamon/nutmeg

For four pies:

• ¼ cup pie pastry
• 2 cups thinly sliced tart apple
• 2 Tblsp. plus  2 tsp. granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. all-purpose flour
• Dash of salt
• Sprinkle of cinnamon/nutmeg

For our entree, we had a favorite from the 1970s – Beef Stroganoff.

The Best of 2010

It’s been another fun year of blogging and on this last day of 2010, I revisited the 10 most popular of the past year’s posts.

Farmer’s Wife Sampler Quilt

Round Patchwork Tablecloth

The Next Best Thing to Robert Redford Dessert

Irish Lemon Blackberry Sponge Pudding

Pork-Apple-Sweet Potato Casserole

Peach Crumble Pie

Creamy Ham Tetrazzini

Vintage Hanky Heart Pillow

Light Pineapple Cheesecake

Tasty Gingerbread Muffins

Happy New Year to All!

Christmas Cherry Mince Tarts

In 1987, my oldest daughter came up with an idea to add tart cherries to a dried fruit mincemeat that I made.  We enjoyed it so much that it ended up replacing the regular mince pie on our holiday menu.  This is a small English-style Christmas tart version.  It was our dessert today on a snowy December afternoon.

CHRISTMAS CHERRY MINCE TARTS

• Pastry for single-crust 9-inch pie
• 1/4 cup dried apricots, finely chop0ped
• 1/4 cup prunes, chopped
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup frozen tart cherries
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tblsp. toasted walnuts, chopped
• Dash of salt
• 1 Tblsp. quick cooking tapioca
• 1 tsp. milk
• 1/2 tsp granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Divide pastry dough into five portions.  Use four portions to line small tart/pie pans (mine measure 4 inches diameter across the top).  Set aside.

In a small pan, combine finely chopped apricots, chopped prunes and raisins along with the 1/4 cup of water.  Bring to a boil and then simmer until liquid is absorbed – about 4 minutes – stirring occasionally and keeping a close watch so the mixture doesn’t burn.

Remove from heat and stir in frozen cherries (no need to defrost).  Stir in cinnamon, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, chopped walnuts, salt and tapioca.  Mix well and divide among the four unbaked tart shells.

Roll the remaining portion of pastry dough and with a 3-inch cutter, cut out a design and place one on each of the tarts.  Brush with milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Place tarts on a large sheet to catch spills and bake @ 400 degrees F

for approximately 25 minutes until the crust is brown and the filling is bubbling.

Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Makes four 4-inch tarts

A nice treat when it’s cold, windy and snowy outside.

Pear Crumble Pie

I started making this pie in 1989, using the Bartlett pears from two trees on our country property.  I’ve baked it at least once a year ever since, using pears from the farmers’ market for the last 10 years  after having to leave our pear trees behind.  The recipe is adapted from one in a 1966 Better Homes and Gardens Pies & Cakes cookbook.  It’s a great pie and just right for these early fall days.

PEAR CRUMBLE PIE

• 9 inch unbaked pastry shell  (see my favorite recipe here)
• 5 cups pared and sliced ripe Bartlett pears
• 3 Tblsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. grated lemon peel
• Crumble Topping (see below)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Place pears in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice.  Mix the sugar, flour and lemon peel together and stir into the pear slices.  Spoon into the unbaked pastry shell.

Crumble Topping

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 4 Tblsp. butter, cut into small cubes

Mix together the flour, sugar and spices.  Cut in the butter until blended.  Sprinkle on top of pear mixture in unbaked pie shell.

Bake in a 375 degree F oven for approximately 45 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

Makes 6 to 8 delicious servings.

Best of Show Raspberry Cherry Pie

In 1983, I had won our big County Fair Pie Contest (Hamilton County/Cincinnati) and really didn’t want to push my luck by entering the following year, but my oldest daughter insisted it was my duty to defend my title.  So, I looked around my country kitchen, crowded with fresh produce, and decided to make a Raspberry Cherry Pie, using our home-grown black raspberries and tart red cherries.  I baked it on a hot Saturday morning, took it to the fairgrounds and when the contest was over, was told I was the first one in the history of the contest to win two years in a row.  I got a blue ribbon, best of show rosette, an engraved silver bowl and a half-bushel of apples.

The years went by and I was always baking something new for our Sunday dinner – never got around to making the prize-winning pie again.  Then, my husband was ill with Alzheimer’s and we had to leave our country home and the raspberry bushes and the cherry trees, so it has been over 25 years since I first made this pie.

A month or so ago, my online friend, Darlene, blogged about a dessert she had made using frozen tart cherries from Meijer.  I hurried to the store, picked up a bag of cherries and some red raspberries, and came home to bake an old favorite.  It was just as good as I remembered it.

BEST OF SHOW RASPBERRY CHERRY PIE

• Pastry for double crust 9″ pie (click here for my favorite recipe)
• 1 cup tart red cherries (I used frozen)
• 3 cups fresh raspberries
• 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3 Tblsp. fast-acting tapioca
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tblsp. butter
• 1 Tblsp. milk

Preheat oven @ 375 degrees F

Measure one cup of cherries into a large bowl.  If cherries are frozen, they will thaw by the time the pie is completed.

To the cherries, add the raspberries, sugar, salt, tapioca and vanilla.  Toss to mix well and let stand for 10-15 minutes.

Stir fruit to distribute sugar and turn into a pastry-lined 9″ pie pan.  Dot with butter, add top crust and crimp to seal.  Cut vents and brush with milk.

Place on a flat pan to catch spills and bake @ 375 degrees F for 45-50 minutes until top crust is golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack.

I probably took a little more care in preparing a fair entry, but not much.  To me, the idea was that it should be one of my normal Sunday pies – with all its little rough spots and bubbling over.

In 1987, when we went to the fair, my daughter told me that one of her entries was going to be my birthday present.  When we got to the Hobbies & Crafts Department, I found she had made a miniature model of the Hamilton County Fair Pie Contest, correct down to the tiniest detail with ribbons, trophies, a table full of pies and baskets of apples.  It won a Best of Show Rosette for her.

Every year, I display the model during the county fair season and remember all the good – and hectic – times we had at the pie contests.

State Fair Blackberry Pie

In 1986, my oldest daughter had been entering needlework in the Ohio State Fair for several years.  She kept nudging me to enter something in the food division but I was hesitant after seeing all of the beautiful entries that come in from all over the state.  Finally, I gave in and decided to enter a blackberry pie to use up some of the buckets of wild blackberries we picked every day in a thicket on the far edge of our property.  I used a recipe from a book by Susan Purdy that my daughter had just given me (unfortunately, I lost the book and I’m not sure of the title*) and made the long trip from Cincinnati to Columbus to enter the pie for judging.

I was pleased to win a third place ribbon on my first Ohio State Fair entry.

We no longer live in the house with the blackberry thicket but there were some beautiful blackberries at my farmers’ market in Loveland, Ohio (Blooms and Berries) and the pie turned out great.

STATE FAIR BLACKBERRY PIE

• Pastry for a 9″ two-crust pie (click here for my favorite recipe)
• 4 cups fresh blackberries
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cider vinegar
• 3 Tblsp. cornstarch
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 Tblsp. quick cooking tapioca
• 2 Tblsp. butter
• 1 Tblsp. milk

Preheat oven @ 375 degrees F

In a heavy pan combine the blackberries, sugar, vinegar, cornstarch, salt, and 2 Tblsp. water.

Mash fruit very slightly with wooden spoon to start juices flowing.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, just until mixture nears boiling point (3-4 minutes).  Remove from heat and cool completely.  Stir in tapioca.

Pour into unbaked pie shell and dot with butter.  Fit top crust over fruit, sealing well.  Brush top crust lightly with milk and cut vents.

Place on flat pan to catch spills and bake @ 375 degrees F for 45-50 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack.

The flavor of this pie is so delicious – even the leftovers the next day were good.

*UPDATE:  I was able to identify the book – As Easy as Pie by Susan G. Purdy and found a nice hard-cover 1984 edition on eBay.com.  I feel better now.  That was the only cookbook that I have ever  lost and I’m happy to have a copy to complete my collection.

Fresh Peach Crumble Pie

I’ve been traveling a bit – peach-wise – the past couple of weeks.   I’ve had South Carolina Peaches, I’m waiting on the Georgia Peaches, and this week my farm market had Ohio grown peaches.  This recipe is a combination of a favorite filling and a favorite streusel topping plus my all-time favorite pie crust.  It’s a perfect dessert for a summer day.

PEACH CRUMBLE PIE

• Pastry for a 9″single crust pie, unbaked (click here for my favorite recipe)

Filling:

• 4 cups sliced fresh peaches
• 1/4 cup Minute Tapioca
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tblsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp. almond extract

Crumble Topping:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 Tblsp. butter, cut into small cubes

Preheat oven @ 375 degrees F

In a large bowl, combine peaches, tapioca, salt, sugar, lemon juice and almond extract.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients:  flour, sugar and butter.  Set aside.

Stir peaches and pour into pastry lined 9″ pie pan.  Spoon crumble topping on, covering all of the top surface of peaches.

Place on a flat pan to catch spills and bake @ 375 degrees F for approximately 45 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack.

Best served after cooling to room temperature.  Servings:  6 to 8