Blackberries!

Blackberry season has begun here at our place. We have large stands of bushes on either side of our property, but there are also clumps up and down the entire street, and since we don’t have any neighbors yet, I’ve claimed them all.

I went out picking for the first time yesterday. S helped for a bit, but she was (conveniently?) not dressed for the occasion, so she quickly decided to go read on the porch, leaving me to do the dirty work. The things I do for love… Anyways, I was out for about an hour, and ended up with 1 1/2 quarts (not including the ones that occasionally made it into my mouth) and only a few minor scratches and pricks. Well worth it though. Nothing quite like eating something that you didn’t have to plant or care for at all – nature does  pretty good job without our help (interference?).

Of course, since we had berries we had to do something with them. Partially, because they won’t stay good for very long, and partially, well, just because they’re there. So, dessert seemed like the logical solution. I did a little twist on the traditional cobbler/crisp – this comes from EatingWell.

Double Corn Blueberry Cobbler

Filling

• 4 cups blueberries or blackberries (about 1 1/4 pounds), fresh or frozen (Note: I also diced a peach and threw it in)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon white whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Topping

• 1 cup white whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal, preferably medium- or coarse-ground
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh, frozen (thawed) or canned (well-drained)

Mix all the filling ingredients and put into a 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish (I actually used a silicone pan). Then mix the flour, corn meal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Whisk the egg, buttermilk, oil, and sugar together in another small bowl, then combine with the dry ingredients and blend well. Stir in the corn.

Spoon the batter over the filling; it should be pretty evenly covered. Bake until the berries are bubbly, the topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the topping comes out clean, 35 to 50 minutes (it was just about 35 for me). Let cool for about 20 minutes before serving. Or if you can’t wait that long, eat each bite with ice cream to counter some of the heat.

Corn and fruit don’t seem like a compatible pair, but they really work quite well together. The savory-but-just-a-hint-of-sweet corn nicely balances the sweet and tart of the berries. And both fit perfectly with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.