BLUEBERRY COBBLER RECIPE

I've been taking lots of pictures of blueberries recently, especially given my recent visit to Phillips Farm, where I brought back a bucket full of super ripe and juicy blueberries. On the northeastern region of the United States, blueberry season runs through the entire month of July and the early weeks of August, enough time to fit in a couple of delectable dishes such as blueberry pie, cobbler or pancakes.


Recently, on my pursuit to find a simple, but exciting, recipe for blueberry dessert, I stumbled one reputed to be the 'Best Ever Blueberry Cobbler' from Allrecipes. I took this recipe, which was already a twist on the classic recipe, and tinkered with it again. Using sweet spices, and an extra splash of orange juice, I came up with a blueberry cobbler recipe that accentuates the bold blueberry flavors and integrates the natural berry tartness exquisitely.

This recipe does call for fresh berries, however, if you do not have fresh blueberries, you may substitute with frozen berries. Generally a bag of frozen blueberries will yield three cups. Simply thaw and drain the excess liquid.
Also, since flavor and sweetness of blueberries varies depending on several factors such as source, season and varietal, you may want to taste the blueberry mixture to calibrate the amount of sugar to add before pouring it into the baking dish. Boun apetito!



BLUEBERRY COBBLER RECIPE

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 5 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In bowl, stir the cornstarch into the orange juice until it is well blended. Mix in the 4 tablespoons of sugar, cinnamon, blueberries, and lemon zest, if using. Pour the berry mixture into a 9x12 inch baking dish. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and 1/2 cup sugar until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Gradually add spoonfuls of the flour mixture, stirring just until the ingredients are combined. Drop the batter by rounded tablespoons over the blueberry mixture, taking care to cover as much of filling as possible.
5. Bake in a preheated oven for roughly 35 to 40 minutes or until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Allow the cobbler to cool down at room temperature for 2 hours and refrigerate for a cold treat.