What’s Fruit Cobbler?

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Fruit cobbler is a delicious dessert that will have people quickly coming to the table for seconds. There are several varieties of cobblers and the recipes can differ significantly depending on their origin. Cobbler recipes have been printed in cookbooks since the early 19th century and likely originated in Europe. However, the Southern United States claims that cobblers are an American invention. This is not true, and first courses like these were probably meat cobblers.

The looser definition of cobbler is that it contains a bottom layer of fruit, topped with a type of pastry. Exactly what that pastry is supposed to be is where fans of the fruit cobbler differ in opinion. Sometimes frozen fruit cobbler is sold in stores and is topped with a powder. This is technically a cobbler, but most cobbler scabs are stronger. Most often, fruit cobbler is topped with cookie dough or scone dough in England. The dough doesn’t necessarily cover the fruit completely, but it can be made into dumpling shapes, which are spaced evenly across the fruit. Others feel that the fruit should be completely covered in cookie dough.

Some variations of the cobbler include what Americans call brittle. Sliced ​​fruit, often apple or cherry, is topped with a melted mixture of butter, flour, brown sugar, and occasionally oats. The top turns golden brown and has a lovely contrast. Because this “crust” is quite sweet, the chips work best with slightly acidic fruit. If you’re using apples, add a small amount of water to the fruit before adding the crunchy filling, for moist fruit to cook more quickly. Some people view the crunchy as an entirely different dessert than a cobbler’s, mostly because the crust is so much lighter than cookie or scone dough.

Most fruit cobblers are baked desserts, adding crunch and texture to the topping. A version of the fruit cobbler native to New England, called the grunt or slump, is cooked over the stove. This keeps the cookie dough softer instead of hardening like it would in the oven. The buckle is another possible version of the shoemaker and can be made in two ways. It is either cake batter with fruit mixed in and then baked, or it can be cake batter that is layered in the bottom of a pan and is topped with fruit before baking. It’s a reverse cobbler, essentially, with pie instead of pastry.

Many fruits are ideal choices for the cobbler. Consider peaches, apricots and berries of all kinds, pears or plums. It’s also delicious to mix fruit for the cobbler, especially if you don’t have enough of the same kind of fruit on hand. Keep in mind that cooking times for fruit can vary. You won’t want to pair apples with peaches, as peaches cook much quicker.

You can throw some berries in a cobbler because most berries can withstand the longer cooking time than apples. Consider other medleys like plum, apricot, cranberry, mixed berry and pear, or apricot peach cobbler. You can also change the taste of the cobbler with a little spice. Add a kick to dessert with a few sprinkles of cinnamon or nutmeg. Alternatively, consider using a pumpkin pie spice or some grated ginger.

Many debate whether to serve hot or cold cobbler. This doesn’t seem like a particularly important question, and most people find they like it both ways. It is entirely up to the cook to make this judgment and a hot cobbler may be too inviting to wait for it to cool.

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