Well. I was admittedly a bit taken aback by the comments on the questions posting at TWD--"Bland" "Boring"..."I changed this, I changed that..." Hmm. In the end I was left wondering had anyone actually made THE RECIPE?The Wild Berry Crumble is one of the most basic recipes...Biscuit topping, mixed berry filling. And reading the recipe for the biscuit topping left my mouth watering for that biscuit. I determined to make it as written since I figured I'd learn something no matter what.
I learned I love plain biscuits.
The topping goes together in minutes. Flour, Baking powder, a bit of sugar and cold butter all bound together by a touch of heavy cream. Roll it out to a rough circle.
The fruit filling uses fresh OR frozen berries...and since it was pounding rain, I decided to go frozen (quel horror!). I had an unopened package of mixed berries, some strawberries and I rounded it out with a few peaches. (Not berries, you say? Okay, mixed fruit.)
The only change (didn't I say I was making it as written? I lied.) was something I always do with pies and such: I brushed the top with cream (sometimes I use egg wash) and sprinkled it with raw sugar.
Oh, I also baked a tiny bit of biscuit--stuff that was just hanging over the edge--up for myself as...well, as a biscuit. I'd whip this up in a heartbeat for morning biscuits.
My only tip is to cook it the full time--I thought it looked brown enough at about 35 minutes, so I took it out only to find it gummy. I put it right back in, cooked it another 20-25, letting it cool completely so the biscuit soaked up the juice.
To each his own, but this is my kind of simple dessert. The biscuit complemented the berries and the berries the biscuit. I only wished I'd braved the rain for a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Not that that stopped anyone from enjoying it.BTW? Makes a great breakfast, too.
I'm also a fan of the sweet simple dessert. Mine are in the oven now so I don't have a verdict yet, but if the scent is any indication I'm confident they'll be yummy.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you liked the recipe. Your pictures are great.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I enjoy a good biscuit topping as well. I guess maybe it is just what some people were raised on.
ReplyDeleteI agree - this was definitely not bland or boring. I'm glad I wasn't the only one who liked it as written!
ReplyDeleteI did it, like written, but I don't think that sugar and cream count as a change :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat looking cobbler.
Ulrike from Küchenlatein
I thought it was good as is, too. I did add a little ice cream, just for comparison, you know! :)
ReplyDeleteI was too scared of "wasting" expensive fruitto try the recipe as-is - but I am glad to know that it really is good! thanks!
ReplyDeleteyou're cobbler looks really delicious! Well done!
ReplyDeleteBiscuits, whether plain or dolled up, are one of my favorite foods to make and eat. These sounds delish! And I think frozen fruit can be great in cobblers:) By the way, I made the NY Times' cavatelli recipe too...but I didn't do the fresh ricotta. Very tasty!
ReplyDeletei brushed mine with milk and sprinkled cinnamon sugar over. Yours looks great!
ReplyDeleteI love the biscuit topping too, and my only tweak was to up the salt, which I almost always do with cobbler recipes.
ReplyDeleteI wish I would have had some left over for breakfast. Yours looks great!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and delicious! I'm sure the "bland" taste of the biscuit was intentional. Who would want to try and complete with clean, fresh berry flavor.
ReplyDeleteInteresting how some people loved the plain biscuit topping and others didn't. Glad you liked it!
ReplyDeletePerfect for breakfast! Love the simple rustic dessert great job!
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed the biscuit topping as written. The biscuit should serve a backdrop to highlight the fruit filling IMHO. Your cobbler turned out delicious looking!
ReplyDeleteWe'd like to invite you to participate in our July berry recipe contest. All competitors will be placed on our blogroll, and the winner will receive a fun prize! Please email me, sophiekiblogger@gmail.com, if you're interested. Feel free to check out our blog for more details. (Click on my name in the message header link to visit our blog. :)
ReplyDeleteSimple and delicious...even with a little cinnamon and ginger thrown in (my version)!
ReplyDeleteI've eaten more of my cobbler for breakfast than I did for dessert... I enjoyed the plain biscuit topping, too--it was a nice contrast with the berries.
ReplyDeleteIt also makes a great lunch .;)
ReplyDeleteand it makes a great pre-dinner treat! ;)
ReplyDeleteWe loved this recipe, too