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Posted on Tue, Aug 23, 2011 : 5:59 a.m.

Summer Breeze - a mixed berry cobbler-crisp

By Anne Savage

cobbler_crisp.jpg

Blueberry and blackberry cobbler-crisp

Anne Savage | Contributor

The name Summer Breeze came about after my brother and his family came to visit last summer and we went blueberry picking at the Dexter Blueberry Farm. My brother kept calling them bluebreeze, so the name kind of stuck.

Since blueberries and blackberries are in season right now, I'm using them for this recipe. However, you could use other berries as well.

The blueberry picking was a little rough this year. I think the blueberry bushes suffered a bit during the mid-summer drought that we had in this area. Also, the clouds of mosquitoes made it a pretty unpleasant (not to mention the fear that one of those super mosquitoes would find me and have its way.)

The blackberries, however... well, they seemed to thrive, and we had most of them picked before the mosquitoes got bad.

This recipe is sort of gilding the lily, because I love how the cake in a cobbler soaks up all the juice from the fruit and also love the texture and crunch of a crisp. I couldn't decide between the two, so I decided to make a recipe that incorporates a little of both. It is a layered recipe that has the cake on the bottom and the crisp on top.

Summer Breeze

Ingredients:

The fruit

  • 2 cups blackberries
  • 2 cups blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 teaspoons finally grated lemon zest

The cobbler bottom

  • 1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk plus 2 tablespoons
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

The crisp topping

  • 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup quick oats
  • 6 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoons salt
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Sort through the berries, removing stems and bad ones, then toss them with the cornstarch, honey and lemon zest. Set aside.

To prepare the crisp topping: Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, spices, and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces; then cream it into the flour mixture with the bottom of a tablespoon. Continue creaming the mixture until there is no loose flour.

To prepare the cobbler bottom: In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a stand mixer (or using an electric hand mixer) beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add flour mixture alternating with milk until smooth.

Grease a 9x11-inch baking pan. Spread the cobbler batter evenly over the bottom of the pan. Top the batter with the fruit mixture. Distribute the crisp topping over the berries. Bake 45-55 minutes, until the cake batter is cooked completely and the top is browned.

For more photos and information on this recipe, click HERE, or go to The Savage Feast for additional recipes or to subscribe. You can also follow The Savage Feast on Facebook!

Anne Savage is a professional photographer living in Dexter. She specializes in food photography and is an experimental cook and avid gardener. Much of her food photography and many of her recipes can be found at http://thesavagefeast.com.

Comments

a2trader

Tue, Aug 23, 2011 : 12:11 p.m.

I can't wait to try this. We have been blueberry picking at the Dexter Blueberry Farm twice now. I will say that the blueberry picking was really good last week and mosquito spray was effective for us. I suspect picking is still great this week as there were lots of berries left, but the farm's last day to pick is probably soon, so people should call ahead to make sure they are still open. After 3 pies and a blueberry buckle, my son wanted me to do a crisp, so I will try this recipe! Thanks for saving me from looking for one. We still have bags of blueberries to go.....