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Saturday, June 19, 2010

Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries and Berries

Today is Saturday, which means a trip to the Farmers Market!!! But I have effused and enthused about the Market before, so I will spare you a repeat performance of my rapture.

Suffice it to say that I am not Shomer Shabbat [sho-MAYR shah-BAHT], which means observing the Jewish sabbath from Friday night to Saturday night; all forms of work are forbidden, so as to make it a true day of rest. (This includes everything from driving to shopping to carrying items to cooking.) So I will be shopping at the market, to see what sights and smells and seduction await me.

Now, I do light candles to welcome Shabbat, and I can even recite the blessing in Hebrew.


Bah-ROOK ah-TAH Ah-doh-NYE eh-loh-HAY-nu meh-LECK hah-oh-LAHM
ah-SHAYR keed-SHAH-nu bay-mitz-voh-TAHV vay-tzee-VAH-nu lay-had-LEEK nayr shel shah-BAHT. (Ah-mayn.)

Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to light the lights of Shabbat. (Amen.)

But to me, a day of rest involves my favorite forms of relaxation -- cooking and baking. So I will drive to get to the Market, shop, carry items home, turn on the oven, and then chop and stir even though all of these activities are verboten to those who observe the Shabbat laws. I cannot imagine any concept of rest that didn't involve doing this. Sitting and bemoaning not being able to acquire and utilize seasonal goodies from the farmers who grew and harvested them would be inordinately stressful to me, not restful.

And so, this being the beginning of berry season -- with Michigan's specialty, tart cherries, due around July 4! -- a lovely dessert for a Shabbat meal or for a post-church Sunday dinner is a fruit cobbler. It's ridiculously easy, and is ideal when made with fresh fruit. But you could also use frozen (defrosted) fruits as well, as I did when I added the last of my tart cherries from last summer. Just add whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, and you will have found yourself a little piece of Heaven ... :)

Cherry Berry Cobbler

(Adapted slightly from Marcia Adams' Cooking From Quilt Country)

4 cups assorted berries and pitted cherries
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/2 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 tablespoons cold butter
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a 9" glass pie pan.

In a large bowl, combine fruit, sugar, cornstarch and extract; pour into the pie pan, and set the pie pan onto a baking sheet covered in foil.

In the same bowl (why wash extra dishes???), combine the flour, baking powder and salt. With your fingers, mix in the butter until the mixture resembles meal.

Combine the egg and the milk, pour over the flour, and stir just until combined.

Place large spoonsful of the batter over the fruit, covering most of it. Combine the brown sugar and the cinnamon and sprinkle over the top of the cobbler.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTE: Don't forget to check out the "thank you" post for my followers, and leave a comment at the end of it if you're interested in the gift drawing: "L'Chaim -- To Life!"



21 comments:

  1. Yum...that looks wonderful

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  2. Hi Yenta Mary. Thanks for following me back from Friday Follow. I'm going to use this recipe for some blackberries I handpicked and froze over the last month or so. (They were at the end of the drive into the apts I live in). Looks delish. Can't wait to look through more of your recipes, so I've subscribed to your feed.

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  3. I've been looking for a good cobbler recipe that has a biscuit topping. Thank you for sharing, I'm adding it to my menu next week. :)

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  4. Looks delish! The best part of summer is all the fresh fruits and veggies. We often make a meal out of them. Happy summer to you.

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  5. Thanks so much for visiting and taking the time to comment. I am so happy to be your newest follower!

    Thanks also for posting this delicious recipe. I look forward to reading some of your older posts.

    I hope your Shabbat was serene and blessed.

    Best wishes,
    Natasha.

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  6. The cherry berry cobbler looks delicious, but I'm not sure I could wait for the finished product once the bowl of cherries-berries was in front of me.

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  7. This looks SO yummy! Stopping by from the Lady Blogger Tea Party

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  8. YUM!! My Michigan heart sings to see those cherries made into something so delicious :) Your recipe sounds perfect Yenta Mary!! I love almond extract in my cherry desserts, they enhance each other so very well :) And hooray!!! Another aluminum free baking powder user :) Happy Sabbath!

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  9. Oh my looks delish! I can't wait to try it. Summer yields the best eats.....

    Visiting from LBS

    Enjoy your relaxing weekend.

    Pamela

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  10. Looks great and I'm making this for father's day tomorrow. Yummy. I came by from Lady Bloggers Society but I think I was here yesterday from another link.

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  11. I want to know what you do with this all of this food because you clearly don't EAT IT. You are a tiny little thing. If I ate all of that I would be large as a house. So where does it go????

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  12. Looks amazing and tempting!!
    I love berries! :)
    I'm going to try it out as soon as I can.
    Hope you're having a great weekend!
    ~B :)

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  13. I think cobbler (any kind) is pretty much the BEST dessert out there. (Oh, wait, next to cheesecake that is!) LOVE this recipe does sound like a little piece of heaven. LOVE IT!!!

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  14. I love cobbler. Apple is my fav, but cherry is right behind it! This looks wonderful!

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  15. umm that looks totally totally delish! I can see a trip to the cherry store in my future! Just dropping in from LBS. Emma @ Tightwad

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  16. Looks good. Wish you lived next door.

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  17. I love cherries, so will definitely have to try this recipe!

    I found your blog at Lady Bloggers Society and I love it!

    Jules
    www.alittlebiteoflife.net

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  18. Your blog page is beautiful! And I was totally drawn to this blog...and yummy! I'll be back, I can't wait in fact!

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  19. Thank you all so much for the pats on the back! Cobbler is wonderful because you can use any kind of fruit, everyone always has flour and sugar and milk on hand to make the batter (unless, of course, they have teenage sons who drink gallons of milk in one sitting!) ... I do hope everyone tries it and loves it!

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  20. Every one of your recipes makes me want to get up and cook....cherries and berries...I am sold. I love a cobbler.

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So, let's chat! I love hearing from my friends ... :)