Cherry Cobbler (TWD)

Since joining this fantastic cooking group Tuesday's With Dorie, I've had a wonderful time cooking thru Dorie Greenspan's baking book, and making recipes that I typically wouldn't have considered trying. With that expanding of horizons (and waistlines) came buying food items that typically wouldn't occupy my pantry. As a result, my cupboards have been overflowing with baking remnants from prior weeks. Not that these items would go to waste (hate the thought of that), I've been consciously trying to get thru these supplies before purchasing anything but the essentials at the market. This exercise was put to the test with this week's selection, Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler, which comes courtesy from Amanda from Like Sprinkles On A Cupcake.
Cobbler is a wonderfully flexible and forgiving recipe, where you can mix and match a variety of fruits. I could have gone to the farmers market with a TON a great summer fruit on display, but I was determined to not buy any additional ingredients for this recipe. I went with mini-cobblers in three small, shallow ramekins, so made only half the filling and one-third of the topping. I dug out an almost full bag of cherries from the freezer (Trader Joe's brand), and supplemented it with a small handful of frozen raspberries (aslo TJ's) to get the right quantity of fruit. I had the rest of the ingredients at home, so things were looking good! I've never seen or tasted rhubarb before...and it looks like I won't be experiencing it any time soon (couldn't even tell you where to find it in my area). To add the tartness that rhubarb would have provided, I added the zest and juice of one lime. Aside from adjusting the recipe size and the rhubarb substitution, I followed the recipe as written. As these were mini-cobblers, baking time was reduced to 30 minutes.

The smell in the house while the cobbler was baking was wonderful and comforting! I also loved pulling the just baked cobbler-ettes out of the oven, with the filling still bubbling and steam emitting from the dish:


Naturally, this cobbler had to be served with a scoop of homemade vanilla bean ice cream. I spooned the still warm cherry filling over the ice cream, and I love how the ice cream melted into a creme anglaise sauce:

I have to admit that I really enjoyed this dessert (and I'm not a huge fan of cobblers). Just comparing the toppings, it definitely trumped the cobbler that I made a few weeks back. The topping in this recipe has more of a cakey texture, which I personally prefer over a biscuit topping, and I enjoyed the slight sharpness in flavor coming from the ginger. The cherry filling was delicious (couldn't tell that the fruit was frozen), and the lime added a terrific tartness. Next time, I think I'll play with the recipe to enhance the ginger flavor, maybe with some crystalized ginger (if my pantry can make room for it!).
To see the 200+ beautiful cobblers made by fellow TWD bakers, check out the blogroll. For the recipe, Amanda has it posted here.