Black Iron Black Raspberry Cobbler: a decadent celebration of early summer, baked in a cast iron skillet.

Nature provides us with many wonderful and important things.  Among the most important are oxygen and wild black raspberries.  Truly, I can’t think of many things better, and nothing that makes a better celebration of early summer than Wild Black Raspberries.    Yes, that’s in title caps intentionally.

Picking them is a metaphor for life.  Good things don’t come easy, and some of the best come with a good deal of itching: our raspberries grow in the same niches favored by poison ivy, stinging nettle, wild blackberry, wild roses, and mosquitoes, and the tiny berries take a long time to pick.  But the reward is wonderful.  This cobbler takes a bunch of berries, so I tend to reserve it only for special people, like myself and my wife.  I bake it in a 9″ cast iron skillet, because I like it that way!

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Wild Black Raspberry Cobbler

A perfect celebration of the perfect wild fruit of early summer. Baked in a 9" cast iron skillet, because it looks and tastes better that way.

Votes: 4
Rating: 4.75
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Rate this recipe!

Course

Desserts

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

40 minutes

Servings

servings MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• 3/4 C Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Corn Starch
• 3/4 C Hot Water
• 6 C Wild Black Raspberries (you could substitute domestic raspberries, blueberries, maybe even peaches. But why?)
• 1 tbsp Butter chopped
• 2 C Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 3 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 teas Salt
• 5 tbsp Butter chopped and chilled
• 3/4 C Buttermilk
• Milk for garnish
• Sugar for garnish

Course Desserts Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 40 minutes Servings servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients 3/4 C Sugar 2 Tbsp Corn Starch 3/4 C Hot Water 6 C Wild Black Raspberries (you could substitute domestic raspberries, blueberries, maybe even peaches. But why?) 1 tbsp Butter chopped 2 C Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 3 Tbsp Sugar 1 Tbsp Baking Powder 1/4 teas Salt 5 tbsp Butter chopped and chilled 3/4 C Buttermilk Milk for garnish Sugar for garnish

Votes: 4 Rating: 4.75 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

Make the Filling

1. Preaheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and hot water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, while stirring. Continue to stir and cook until it starts to thicken, about 1 minute.
3. Add the berries and gently stir in. Be careful not to smoosh the berries, and cook only until the berries are hot - do not boil!
4. Pour the berry goo into a 9" cast iron skillet, or some other deep baking vessel if you aren't properly equipped. Spread 1 tbsp of chopped butter over the surface of the berry goo.

Make the Topping

1. The topping is just a simple shortbread. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and cut in (I usually just use my fingers, because I don't want to wash stuff. But a quick few pulses in the food processor would be best) until it resembles corn meal with a few pea-sized chunks of butter.
2. Stir in the buttermilk just until combined. Don't over-mix, just moisten the dry ingredients.

Assemble & Bake

1. Drop the dough by the spoonful on top of the berries. It should cover fairly well, but do leave a few gaps here and there. Optionally, brush the top of the shortbread with milk, and sprinkle with sugar for extra sparkle.
2. Bake 35-40 minutes, until the shortbread is lightly browned.
3. Resist the temptation to dig right in until it has cooled for at least 5 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Some people like to serve cobblers like this with vanilla ice cream.  That's a nice touch sometimes.  I usually prefer to serve it with more cobbler...

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