Recipe: Fresh fruits in a delicious spring dessert or brunch dish
A fruit cobbler makes a fresh addition to brunch; add ice cream for serving as
dessert. (Photos: Kathy Morrison)
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Trio of red: Strawberries, rhubarb and raspberries blend
well in the cobbler.
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Spring's fresh fruit parade has begun, and right up front are strawberries and rhubarb, very different yet so complementary. This easy (and not-too-sweet) cobbler features them beautifully, and the little biscuits, accented with bits of candied ginger, make the perfect topping.
The biscuits can be made with all-purpose flour, spelt flour, or a combination. Spelt is my new ingredient to play with, so my biscuits included 1/3 cup spelt. Like anything baked with whole-wheat flour, they will be a little denser than ones made with white flour. The ginger bits I used come premade from a spice company, eliminating the sticky chopping, but use what's available.
The amounts of fruit here are flexible, depending on the size or shape of your baking dish. I used a 9-by-9-inch glass dish, and wound up adding a few more strawberries after the amounts listed below.
Inspired by the original , I also tossed some raspberries in with the other fruit, but they're not required. They do, however, mask some of the color of the cooked strawberries, which are not as bright as uncooked ones. The liquid in the dish might seem to be too much and too thin, but it is ideal for balancing the starchiness of the biscuits.
Enjoy as is or with some ice cream on the side.
Candied-ginger bits this size work in the cobbler biscuits. |
Strawberry-rhubarb cobbler with ginger biscuits
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
4 stalks rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
2 cups (or more) hulled and halved strawberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (optional)
2 to 3 tablespoons maple syrup, honey or agave nectar (or a combination)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided
Biscuit topping:
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, spelt flour or a combination
2 tablespoons granulated sugar or coconut sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Cobblers leave some fruit exposed. Brush the biscuits with a little milk. |
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons diced candied ginger or premade ginger bits
2 tablespoons coconut oil (solid) or margarine
1/2 cup oat milk, nut milk or dairy milk, plus more for brushing
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put all the fruit in the chosen baking dish. Sprinkle the maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla over the fruit, stir well and even out the fruit in the dish.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the solid coconut oil or margarine, rubbing it into the flour mixture with your hands, a fork or a small spatula. The coconut oil pieces should be no larger than peas.
Stir in the candied-ginger pieces.
Stir in the milk and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla just until flour mixture is moistened.
Bright red fruit sauce is a feature of this cobbler. |
Scoop out a rounded mound of dough with a tablespoon, shape and flatten it slightly, and place on top of the fruit. Repeat until all the dough is used, leaving some of the fruit exposed. Brush the tops of the biscuits with a little more milk.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling all over and the biscuits are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.
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Garden Checklist for week of Oct. 27
It's still great weather for gardening. Grab a sweater – and an umbrella, just in case – then get to work:
* October is the best month to plant trees, shrubs and perennials.
* Harvest pumpkins and winter squash.
* Pick apples and persimmons. Remember to pick up fallen fruit, too; it attracts pests.
* Clean up the summer vegetable garden and compost disease-free foliage.
* Dig up corms and tubers of gladioli, dahlias and tuberous begonias after the foliage dies. Clean and store in a cool, dry place.
* Treat azaleas, gardenias and camellias with chelated iron if leaves are yellowing between the veins.
* Now is the time to plant seeds for many flowers directly into the garden, including cornflower, nasturtium, nigella, poppy, portulaca, sweet pea and stock.
* Plant seeds for radishes, bok choy, mustard, spinach and peas.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Set out cool-weather bedding plants, including calendula, pansy, snapdragon, primrose and viola.
* Reseed and feed the lawn. Work on bare spots.