Cobbler is one of the best ways to eat fruit (ha!) What better way to capitalize on the natural sugar of fruit than make a massive pastry out of it? I can't think of one. My great-grandmother used to make amazing crumbly, moist peach cobbler for us whenever we'd visit her house. Her name was Fanny, and she was one of the toughest women I ever knew. Her hands sagged and were worn from working on the farm and in the kitchen nearly every day for over 90 years. On top of all that, she made ceramics in a shed out on the property and took care of dozens of stray cats. My great-grandfather was just as tough, but a far more mysterious character to me. They both died around or before I became a teenager, so my memories of the pair are fuzzy. My great-grandfather had lung cancer, and had been deaf for most of his life. He was scary to me as a child- I couldn't understand him when he spoke, and simply nodded and smiled when he talked (which was seldom). It saddens me now, reflecting on the time I missed with these two amazing people. They lived through the roaring 20s, the Great Depression, WWII (and possibly the very end of WWI!). I can't say they lived through the technological advances of the 80s and 90s because they owned neither cell phones nor computers- entertainment was sparse, in the form of walks and the little television set they kept on nearly all the time, for the company. Visiting Fanny and Willard always transported me back to a simpler time, just as cobbler does today.
Apple Cobbler
Adapted from Soni
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup sugar
Lemon zest from 2 small lemons
1 baking apple (such as Cortland), sliced ultra-thin
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups milk (I used skim)
1 baking apple (such as Cortland), sliced ultra-thin
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups milk (I used skim)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the lemon zest with the 1/4 cup of the sugar in a bowl and set aside. Put butter, cut into smaller sections, into a 9x13 baking dish and transfer into the oven. Heat until the butter is melted (don't forget it, like I did!) Combine flour, remaining sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Whisk in the milk and olive oil into the flour mixture until smooth. Take the baking dish out of the oven shake the pan to spread the melted butter evenly. Pour the batter into the baking dish and slice the apple on top. I used my mandolin and got a little shred-happy, as you can see. Once apples are spread evenly on top, sprinkle the lemon-sugar mixture over top. I tried my best to separate it and prevent clumping, but... it's harder than it looks.
Yes, it is delicious.
I don't have as many picture as I'd like for this recipe because it was pretty fast paced! I put the butter in the pan and put it in the oven and forgot all about it as I painstakingly zested those lemons. Once I remembered the butter, it was brown and completely liquid. Never fear, though! This recipe is very forgiving. I added too much sugar to the lemon sugar, nearly burnt the butter, used milk of questionable age and it still turned out well. The lemon sugar concept was very interesting to me to begin with: an interesting twist to an old classic. Perhaps it needed the refreshment, though! The only warning: it's not that photogenic (maybe it's better that I had fewer pictures?), so I recommend topping it with a massive scoop of ice cream. Just like the good old days!
