Fruity February Refresher

February in Upstate NY. Sepia. A whole month of Sepia. It’s pretty, but you looong for color. Yesterday, I had to leave work early for a delivery and I can’t remember the last time I baked something, so I decided at the last minute to make a cobbler. Fruit cobblers are at the top of my comfort food list, in any season, but in winter they are particularly comforting. Warm, colorful, somewhat healthy, ooey-gooey deliciousness. I found a recipe that looked simple; I had all the ingredients,  and it was assembled in about 10 minutes (another reason to love a fruit cobbler-especially one that uses frozen fruit).

Ok, so I need to apologize in advance for the pics. I (Heather) just used my phone camera. Greta has the beautiful Canon DSLR and the natural talent. I just like to talk about food and have very little (maybe zero) photography skills.

“Is she working on particle board counter tops?” Yes. Yes I am. We are currently building our house while living in it, so I have these lovely temporary counters, no kitchen cabinets and a sweet little microwave/convection oven. I do have the stove top installed though! All of this makes cooking a little challenging, but not impossible.

Trader Joe’s Very Cherry Berry Blend is, sadly, a little stingy with the cherries.

mmmmmm…sugar sprinkled on top

Tip: Make sure you wait until it smells delicious, the edges are golden and the fruit and sugar have melted into one bubbling, beautiful topping before taking it out of the oven (see pic below).

Voila! Color and fruity goodness in one mouthwatering pan.

Here’s the recipe, by USA WEEKEND columnist Pam Anderson (via AllRecipes.com):

Original recipe makes 4 servings

4 tablespoons butter 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup milk

2 cups of sliced fresh peaches or nectarines, or whole blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or a combination of fruits (or a 12-ounce package of frozen berries) 1 tablespoon sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position, and heat oven to 350 degrees.
2.	Put butter in an 8-inch square or 9-inch round pan; set in oven to melt. When butter has melted, remove pan from oven.
3.	Whisk flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Add milk; whisk to form a smooth batter. Pour batter into pan, then scatter fruit over batter. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tb. of sugar.
4.	Bake until batter browns and fruit bubbles, 50 to 60 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

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