Fruit cobbler recipes vary a little in the kind of toppings they have, either crumbly or biscuity. This easy version (adapted from one of Emeril Lagasse’s on the Food Network site) is the latter: a cornmeal biscuit topping with fruit underneath. First, heat pitted fresh cherries in a skillet with white and brown sugars, orange juice, and a little cornstarch until the mixture thickens (partially cooking the filling ensures that it doesn’t end up watery). Then, top with a biscuit-style dough and finish in the oven until golden brown and bubbling. It’s great served plain, or you can add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
For more, try our Cherry Clafoutis or Peach Cobbler recipe.
- Yield: 6 servings
- Difficulty: Easy
- Total: 1 hr 10 mins
Ingredients (13)
For the filling:
- 6 cups fresh sweet cherries, pitted
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
For the biscuit topping:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cornmeal
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup milk
Instructions
For the filling:
- Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
- In a nonreactive skillet or medium saucepan, combine the pitted cherries, sugars, orange juice, and cornstarch and stir to combine.
- Place over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture bubbles and gets a little thick. If you’re using an oven-safe skillet you can leave the filling in it, or transfer the mixture to an 8-by-8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish.
For the biscuit topping:
- Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl to combine. Add the butter and toss with your fingers until well coated in the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until reduced to pea-size pieces, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Mix together the egg and milk and quickly stir it into the flour-butter mixture until a soft, crumbly dough forms.
To assemble and bake:
- Drop the biscuit topping by spoonfuls onto the filling. Bake until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges, about 25 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream.