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Lattice Blackberry Cobbler

Source of Recipe

From "The Glory of Southern Cooking" by James Villas


Recipe Introduction

"Southern lattice cobblers are legendary, the most famous being hot blackberry cobbler topped with scoops of vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream. Every rural Southerner has lurid tales of being eaten alive by chiggers while picking blackberries as a child, with their only consolation being the prospect of eating as many cobblers as the buckets of fat berries would produce. Some cobblers are made with both a bottom crust and the lattice pastry strips woven on top. This one incorporates crunchy pieces of baked pastry in the filling itself for a more balanced texture. Although this same recipe could be used for any fresh berries, nothing evokes the true soul of the South like an authentic blackberry cobbler."

List of Ingredients

For the filling:
â—¦  6 cups fresh blackberries, stemmed and rinsed
â—¦  1 ½ cups sugar
â—¦  3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
â—¦  1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
â—¦  3 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

For the dough:
â—¦  2 cups all-purpose flour
â—¦  1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
â—¦  ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦  ¼ cup vegetable shortening
â—¦  ½ cup whole milk


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a baking sheet and a 3-quart rectangular baking dish with butter and set aside.

To make the filling, combine the blackberries, sugar, flour, and lemon juice in a large bowl, toss well, and let stand.

To make the dough, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk till well blended. Add the shortening and cut with a pastry cutter or two knives till the mixture is mealy. Add the milk and stir till a soft ball of dough forms. Transfer to a floured surface, roll out half the dough ¼ inch thick, and cut into 1-inch-wide strips. Place the strips on the prepared baking sheet, bake till lightly browned, about 10 minutes, and let cool. Break the strips into small pieces. Roll out the remaining dough ¼ inch thick, cut into 1-inch-wide strips, and set aside.

To assemble the cobbler, spoon half the blackberries into the prepared baking dish and scatter the browned pastry pieces over the top. Add the remaining berries, dot with the butter pieces, and weave the unbaked pastry strips in a lattice design over the top.

Place the dish on a heavy baking sheet and bake till the berries are bubbly and the pastry browned, about 40 minutes.
Serve hot or warm.

Makes at least 8 servings