Cobbler Crazy
My wife says that I am overly crazy about cobbler recipes and she is partially correct! I do love cobblers but I am more so totally intrigued by two unique cobbler cooking techniques. The first, which I label the “melted butter” technique is responsible for my BANANA COBBLER and BUTTERMILK FIG COBBLER (and I will soon convert my PEACH COBBLER recipe to utilize this cooking technique). The second I call the “hot water” technique is responsible for my SOUTHERN CHOCOLATE PECAN COBBLER. My recipe for SALTED CARAMEL COBBLER incorporates BOTH cooking techniques!
To further confuse the issue, a straw poll of my followers says that the Salted Caramel Cobbler is their favorite with the Southern Chocolate Pecan Cobbler coming in a close second.
By researching old ‘spiral-bound, community style’ cookbooks, I can place the ‘hot water technique’ back to the late 1940’s. The “melted butter technique” is first recorded in the 1950’s. Both techniques have been recorded with names including: EASY PIE, EASY COBBLER, LAZY PIE, LAZY COBBLER, POOR MAN’S COBBLER. LAZY DAY COBBLER and numerous derivatives.
Here’s the BASIC RECIPE for EASY COBBLER I keep finding numerous times in the old, pre-1970s cookbooks:
1 stick of unsalted butter or margarine
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 cup of whole milk
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 to 3 cups (undrained) canned, ripened or cooked fresh fruit (plums, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, etc.) remember to pit them
Melt butter in a deep 8″ x 8″ baking dish (or even an 9″ x 13″) or pan. Combine and make a batter of the next five ingredients. Pour the batter over the melted butter; don’t stir. Ladle the fruit mixture over
the batter; don’t stir. Bake at 350-degrees for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
If any of you visitors have recipes dating to the pre-1950’s which utilize either of these two cooking techniques, I would love to hear from you about the details of your recipe.
