Peachy-Strawberry Cobbler
What does a cobbler have in common with a pandowdy, a crisp, or a crumble? What about a Betty, a slump, a sonker, or a buckle? The common denominator of these tasty, old-fashioned desserts is a juicy, cooked fruit base. Each one has a topping component that might be biscuit dough, pie crust, streusel, batter, dumplings, or buttered crumbs. Quick and easy to prepare, their whimsical names transport us back to another time.
That’s about where the consensus ends. Many differences exist in the desserts of the greater cobbler family, as well as endless options — and opinions! — on how they should be made and what they should be called. One person’s crisp is another person’s crumble. In some areas, it’s nearly impossible to distinguish a cobbler from a pandowdy and a slump from a grunt. Recipes have merged through the decades producing countless regional variations.
Most American dishes, including pie and cobbler, have roots elsewhere. While clinging to the foodways of their native lands, English and Dutch settlers in America had to adapt and simplify recipes to suit the ingredients and environment of their new homeland. Savory Old World meat pies gave way to sweet pies and cobbler-like desserts made with fresh, dried, or preserved fruits. They were covered and cooked in pots and skillets over hot coals in the fireplace or in wood-fired brick ovens. New England, “the great pie belt,” is where the humble cobbler and its many cousins originated. Pie, cobbler, and pandowdy were favorite breakfast dishes but not officially labeled as desserts until the late 19th century.
These practical dishes also relied on seasonal fruits. Fruit combinations are especially flavorful, such as plumcot blueberry, apple cranberry, and pear plum. Sugar amounts can be adjusted as naturally sweet fruits may require less. Don’t use too much thickener in these desserts; their syrupy juices thicken into luscious, fruity glazes as they cool. Place the pan on a baking sheet or large sheet of heavy-duty foil in the oven to catch any bubbling juices.
Peach Cobbler
The peach was designated as the South Carolina official state fruit in 1984. More than 30 varieties of peaches are grown here. The Peach Team at Clemson University, which consists of researchers and extension agents, says, “Georgia may be The Peach State, but South Carolina is the Tastier Peach State.” For many Southerners, peach cobbler is a taste of home. Select firm peaches that aren’t overly soft. The juicy filling can be baked with a topping of rich, homemade cream biscuits, cake batter, or with the Spiced Pie Crust or one of the crispy toppings in this article. The flesh of freestone peaches releases easily from the pits; fresh peaches are usually available mid-June.
7 or 8 peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced (about 2½ pounds)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
½ cup sugar, or to taste
1 rounded tablespoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 recipe batter from the Rhubarb-Strawberry Cobbler Cake (recipe page 47)
Coarse sanding sugar or turbinado sugar, if desired
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, combine peaches with the remaining ingredients, except for the batter. Spread evenly in the bottom of a buttered 11-inch by 7-inch baking dish or a 9-inch cast-iron skillet. Prepare batter; pour evenly over peaches; sprinkle with almonds and coarse sugar, if used. Bake 45 minutes or until filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Cool 15 minutes; serve with ice cream, if desired. Serves 4.
Variation: Peachy-Strawberry Cobbler
Prepare the recipe as directed, but omit the Batter recipe and instead prepare the Crisp topping from the Apple Crisp with Pouring Custard recipe (page 50).
Mix about 2 cups sliced, ripe strawberries into the fresh peach mixture; place into the pan. Sprinkle evenly with Crisp topping; bake as directed. Top portions with ice cream or Pouring Custard, if desired.
Berry Delicious Crumble
From palace to pub, crumble is England’s go-to comfort dessert, made with apples, quince, rhubarb, berries, and other fruits. London’s newest craze is the shop Humble Crumble, which sells shortbread-topped crumble with pouring custard, or frozen clotted cream. This recipe is a medley of berries — strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries — with a rustic streusel on top. Choose at least three types of fresh berries; cut large strawberries in half. An equal amount of frozen berries, partially thawed, works too. The butter in the Oat & Walnut Crunch shouldn’t be rubbed in too finely; lumps make the topping richer and keep it crunchy.
Berry Mixture
6 cups mixed fresh berries, rinsed briefly in a strainer and patted dry
½ cup granulated sugar, or to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1½ tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Prepare Oat & Walnut Crunch (recipe below); chill. Preheat oven to 350 F. Put berries into a large bowl. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients; gently toss to coat. Pour into a buttered 9-inch by 9-inch baking dish. Scatter the crunch over the berries without packing it down. Bake 35 minutes or until fruit bubbles near the edges and the crumble becomes crispy. Serves 6.
Oat & Walnut Crunch
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup walnuts, pecans, or almonds, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1¼ sticks unsalted butter (10 tablespoons), slightly chilled and in ½-inch pieces
Put crumble ingredients, except butter, in a large bowl, as listed. Whisk together 30 seconds. Toss butter into the mixture. Using your fingertips, press butter into the ingredients until a crumble with large clumps is formed. Chill until needed.
Cherry-Berry Pandowdy
Topped with a rolled pie crust, deep-dish pandowdy is also called a cobbler in many places, including West Texas, parts of Tennessee, and Missouri. Substitute other fresh or frozen fruits; if necessary, adjust sugar to taste. The Spiced Pie Crust can be used in any crisp and crumble recipe. Pandowdy with pie crust was a favorite dish of President John Adams and his wife, Abigail. Queen Elizabeth I is said to have served the first cherry pie.
1 Spiced Pie Crust, chilled (recipe next column)
2 pounds (about 7 cups) pitted frozen cherries, fresh or thawed
1 cup berries, fresh or frozen (blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries)
¾ to 1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Make the Spiced Pie Crust. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients; pour into a buttered, 2-quart rectangular, baking dish. On a lightly floured surface or between sheets of parchment paper, roll out pie dough slightly larger than the size of the baking dish. Place over the fruit mixture. Tuck the edges under to form a rim; press with the back of a fork. Use a sharp knife to make several short slits for venting. The cold pie dough can also be cut into strips and woven into a lattice over the filling. Pandowdy is often covered with a patchwork of small pastry squares; interesting pastry shapes can also be cut using cookie cutters. Bake the dessert 45 minutes to 1 hour or until filling is bubbly and the pastry is crispy on top and light golden brown. For the best flavor, cool about 15 minutes before eating. Serves 6.
Spiced Pie Crust
This tender pie crust makes an excellent topping for cobbler, pandowdy, a sonker, or pie. A touch of warm spice enhances its flavor. Shortening makes the pie crust dough easy to roll and is available in baking sticks for easy measuring. Butter contributes flavor. Baking powder helps prevent shrinkage, and vinegar inhibits gluten formation. Keep the pastry well chilled.
1½ cups all-purpose flour (Gold Medal)
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom, if desired
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening, butter flavor or plain, chilled
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in small cubes, frozen
3 tablespoons iced water with 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Gather the ingredients. Spoon flour into measuring cup; add to a large bowl with baking powder, spice, and salt. Whisk 30 seconds. Cut the cold shortening into the flour, then the butter cubes, forming clumps. Sprinkle in water, as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until a rough dough begins to form. Turn mixture onto a lightly floured pastry surface. If too wet, sprinkle with a little extra flour. Pat into a cohesive mound; fold into quarters. Flatten dough; wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour or overnight. There should be ample dough for a 2-quart rectangular Pyrex dish (11- by 7-inch) or a 9-inch square baking pan.
What’s in a Name?
Cobbler: The classic cobbler for many people is topped with drop or cutout biscuit dough. Their uneven, baked surfaces were said to resemble a cobblestone street. For other people, a cobbler with a pie crust topping, similar to pandowdy, is the only way to go. A third version has a cake-like topping. Fruit is placed over batter in the pan; the batter rises up through the fruit. Occasionally, the batter might be spooned on top of the fruit. These casual desserts can be “cobbled together” with ingredients available in the moment. Scones, sliced cookie dough, or unbaked cinnamon buns make unique toppings. Nathalie Dupree aptly calls a cobbler the “lazy girl’s pie.”
Crisp: This beloved American fruit dessert, similar to a crumble, is topped with a buttery, crisp streusel partially inspired by German food traditions. The basic formula is flour, sugar, and butter. Oats are said to characterize the topping, yet they are not always included. Anything goes! Add layers of deliciousness to your own crisps and crumbles by including granola, almond flour, coconut, muesli, or crushed up cereal, shortbread, or amaretti cookies in the toppings.
Crumble: The British counterpart to the American crisp. During World War II, the crumble — an economical alternative to England’s beloved pie — was reintroduced to the British public. It evolved to accommodate changing tastes. Oats and nuts weren’t always common topping ingredients, but they are plentiful in modern versions. Some are streusel-like; other resemble finely textured “beach sand,” according to a British royal chef. The latter has a higher ratio of flour to sugar and butter. I have enjoyed this type of crumble at London’s Savoy Hotel.
Pandowdy (or dowdy): Early versions of this dessert were made with apples, molasses or brown sugar, and rustic bread. Like a cobbler, the modern, deep-dish pandowdy features a single pie crust topping but sometimes a rich, biscuit dough. Traditional recipes instruct that while baking, some of the crust should be pressed into the bubbling hot, juicy filling with a spoon. This creates a “dowdy” — messy — appearance, but the taste is delectable and fit for a queen! In another variation, the fruit filling is placed on top of the single crust; the baked dessert is inverted onto a serving platter.
Apple Betty: Thrifty and resourceful, the Betty is an excellent way to recycle leftover bread, cake, and cookie crumbs. Early recipes included apples, molasses, spice, and crumbs layered for baking. Similar to the texture of bread pudding, the dessert can be served with pouring custard (recipe page 49) or ice cream. It has an English pedigree and has been a classic dish since America’s Colonial days; no two recipes seem to be alike.
Slumps and Grunts: These old Yankee dishes may have evolved from the English steamed pudding. They are essentially the same — a stovetop cobbler topped with batter or drop biscuits; steam creates a dumpling-like topping. Sometimes, the dessert is baked in a skillet. A slump is popular in Rhode Island, Maine, and Vermont; the grunt in Massachusetts and Atlantic Canada. Origin of the quirky names is unknown but may come from the dessert’s misshapen appearance on the serving plate (slump) or from the bubbling sound of the fruit as it cooks (grunt).
Sonker: Surry and Wilkes counties in North Carolina are home of the sonker, the country cousin of pandowdy and cobbler. Often topped with lattice pie crust, the saucy sonker is a 200-year-old Scots Irish tradition. Using end of season fruits, it is served in huge pans at the annual sonker festival in October. A popular sweet potato sonker, made with an abundance of butter, sugar, and spice, is served with a thickened, vanilla-scented milk “dip,” which is poured over each portion.
Buckle: The irresistible buckle, which is eaten with a fork, longs to be a coffee cake rather than a cobbler or pie. Its name is derived from the streusel-like topping, which creates a cracked, rolling surface. The moist dessert is traditionally chock-full of berries, but other fruits can be added.
Rhubarb-Strawberry Cobbler Cake
Other berries and fruits can be substituted for the strawberries. I enjoyed a dish of rhubarb-strawberry crumble in Scotland. To make a similar dish, eliminate the batter; substitute the Oat & Walnut Crunch from the Berry Delicious Crumble recipe, page 46. Serve with pouring cream, heavy cream whipped with mascarpone, or even a spoonful of organic Greek yogurt.
Rhubarb Filling
4 cups rhubarb, cut in ½-inch pieces (1 pound)
2 cups halved strawberries (about 1 cup)
½ to ⅔ cup sugar, to taste
2 level tablespoons cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon salt
Grated zest of 1 navel orange (reserve for juice)
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
2 to 3 teaspoons fresh gingerroot, finely grated (optional)
Batter
1 cup plain, soft wheat flour (White Lily)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
½ cup whole buttermilk
⅓ cup almonds, thinly sliced
Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter a deep, 9-inch baking dish. Combine rhubarb filling ingredients; place in the baking dish; set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and soda; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter with sugar; beat in egg and extract. Stir in flour mixture and buttermilk. Spoon batter evenly over filling; sprinkle with almonds. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool slightly; serve with whipped cream or ice cream. Makes 5 to 6 servings.
Louisa May’s Apple Slump
This old Yankee dessert came into public recognition in 1832, just before the birth of Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women. In a witty nod to Orchard House, her family home in Massachusetts, Louisa nicknamed it Apple Slump. The recipe below is loosely based on Louisa’s own version. For great flavor, choose a blend of apples such as Mutsu, Pink Lady, Jonagold, Honeygold, and Granny Smith for tartness. Plump dried cranberries, cherries, raisins, or chopped nuts are a nice addition. Embellish the slump with ice cream; French vanilla, salted caramel, and rum raisin flavors are especially enjoyable.
Apple Filling
6 to 7 medium apples, peeled and sliced
½ cup apple cider or juice
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon, divided
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
½ teaspoon mace or nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
Topping
1½ cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
½ cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons butter, melted
½ cup walnuts, chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-inch by 9-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, combine the Apple Filling ingredients; spread over the bottom of the baking pan. Precook about 20 minutes to soften. As the apples cook, make topping. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together 30 seconds in a large bowl. With a fork, blend the egg, milk, vanilla, and butter in a small bowl. Pour into the flour mixture; stir until a soft dough forms. Spoon dough over partially baked apples; sprinkle with walnuts. Return pan to the oven; bake about 25 minutes until browned. Cool 10 minutes, then serve.
Very Berry Buckle
A buckle bridges the gap between a fruit crumble and a coffee cake. This fruit-laden version calls for three types of berries: blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, or choose one or two. Fresh, chopped peaches with berries is an exceptional, seasonal variation. Add a crunchy topping (from this article) such as the fine-textured crumble in the Apple Crisp or the rustic streusel in the Berry Delicious Crumble. The buckle isn’t overly sweet; drizzle with almond-flavored glaze as a final flourish. Whisk together 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 2 to 3 tablespoons cream (or milk), and 1 teaspoon pure almond extract or vanilla. Thicken or thin the consistency, if necessary.
½ recipe (about 1½ cups) crunchy topping from the Apple Crisp or Berry Delicious Crumble recipes
1¼ cups all-purpose flour (Gold Medal), spooned into cups and leveled
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 stick unsalted butter (4 ounces), room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
⅓ cup whole buttermilk
3 to 3½ cups mixed berries, fresh
The crunchy topping can be made ahead and refrigerated 2 to 3 days or frozen. Preheat oven to 360 F. Butter a 9-inch baking pan. Whisk flour 30 seconds with dry ingredients through the salt; reserve. In a mixing bowl, cream butter with sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time; add vanilla. Add flour and buttermilk; mix on low just to combine ingredients. Don’t overmix. By hand, gently fold berries into thick batter. Spread over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with topping. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until cake tests done in several places and the topping is crunchy and golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. If desired, make a glaze; drizzle on top. It’s delicious for breakfast with organic honey yogurt.
Note: An 8-inch pan produces a taller crumble; baking time may need to be increased a few minutes. The buckle can also be prepared in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet.
Pouring Custard
This irresistible pouring custard, similar to crème anglaise, is the classic pairing for a British fruit crumble or American crisp. If refrigerating the sauce, place plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Cornstarch helps prevent curdling; a heavy-based pan and patience in stirring are essential too.
3 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar, divided
1 tablespoon cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon salt
2½ cups whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Whisk egg yolks and ¼ cup of the sugar briefly in a medium bowl until pale and smooth. In a heavy, medium saucepan, whisk remaining ¼ cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt with the milk. Heat, stirring occasionally, over a medium burner until small bubbles form around the edge; do not boil. Pour about 1 cup of the hot milk into the eggs in a slow, steady stream while whisking constantly. Pour egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan. Cook and stir mixture on medium heat until custard thickens and slightly coats the back of a spoon, around 180 F. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Strain through a sieve into a clean bowl. Serve warm, or cover and refrigerate. Sauce thickens slightly upon chilling.
Apple Crisp with Pouring Custard
The stars of this dessert are the crunchy, buttery, lemon-scented topping and jammy baked apples. Choose apples suitable for baking, such as the tart Granny Smiths, tart-sweet Fuji apple, or juicy Honeycrisp apples, which have a refreshing sweetness similar to fresh apple cider. To ensure even baking in the size of apple slices, cut each apple into quarters, and then each quarter into four pieces and so on. The topping can be used over a variety of fruits. Serve the crisp with lashings of silky, vanilla Pouring Custard (recipe page 49).
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon, divided
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
7 or 8 medium size apples (1 or 2 varieties) peeled, cored, thinly sliced
Preheat oven to 365 F. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, spices, and lemon zest; whisk together 30 seconds. Toss butter into the mixture. Using your fingertips, press butter into the ingredients until a crumble is formed. Chill until needed.
Prepare apples, then place them into a rectangular baking dish. Combine the reserved lemon juice with enough apple cider or water to make ⅓ cup; drizzle over apples. Sprinkle evenly with the crumb mixture. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender and the topping is crunchy and golden. Serves 4 to 6.
