A RUSTIC STRAWBERRY COBBLER…
Today, I am sharing a lovely, homey strawberry cobbler, which is kind of like strawberry shortcake the lazy way. Juicy strawberries bubble into beautiful, syrupy jamminess under a blanket of buttery drop-biscuits.
It is an easy carry-and-serve dessert to tote along to a picnic or a bbq. Unlike true shortcake, which requires many containers and assembly just before serving.
Ever since berries appeared at the market, I have been bringing home more strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries than I can carry. Since we are in peak farmer’s market season, I have become a berry hoarder!
I have made a strawberry-redcurrant pie, strawberry pancakes, strawberry buttermilk pie, and this cobbler all in the span of weeks of the sweet little gems arriving at the farmer’s market.
I infused my cobbler with rose syrup because strawberry and rose go beautifully together. However, dear purists please don’t fret. You can just skip the syrup and stir the same amount of sugar right into the berries.
For those as excited as I am about the delicate, floral flavor of rose, look for edible rose petals or pure rose tea. Mine was from the bulk section of a health food store, in the tea section.
Serve the cobbler warm or at room temperature. I cover it tightly and leave on the counter for a day if there are leftovers because the environment of the refrigerator dries out the biscuit topping way faster than outside (the fridge kills any baked goods, including bread). But longer than 24 hours, I would have to heave a sigh and pop it in the fridge.
STRAWBERRY COBBLER
Ingredients
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tbsp dried rose petals
- 700 grams strawberries hulled and halved
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
For the topping:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp coarse salt
- 5 Tbsp cold butter
- 1⅓ cups whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200ºC. Place a parchment-lined baking sheet on the lowest rack to catch any drips.
- Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves.
- Stir in dried rose petals and let stand while you prepare the rest.
- To make the topping, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Using the large holes on a box grater, grate the butter directly over top. Whisk again to combine.
- Pour in the milk and fold it into the dry ingredients with a light hand, being careful not to overmix. The mixture will be very lumpy, but no dry flour should remain.
- Toss the strawberries with the flour in a 1-1/2 liter baking dish. Pour the cooled rose syrup through a fine-mesh strainer directly onto the berries, pressing on the rose solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Toss to combine.
- Spoon the biscuit topping onto the berries and bake on top of the prepared baking sheet for about 30 minutes, until filling is bubbling vigorously around the sides and the topping is golden brown.
