Blueberry Basil Skillet Cobbler with Cornbread Biscuits
It's almost the 4th of July! Can you believe it!? I am so ready for Summer. I leave for vacation to Cannon Beach in a few weeks and I am so freaking excited. It's going to be very chill and relaxing. A lot of laying around in the sun and not much else. Do you have any fun plans this Summer?
For a 4th of July dessert, I went classic Americana with a modern twist. Here we have a pretty classic berry cobbler with "the volume turned up" as Ina would say. I tossed fresh basil into the filling AND the biscuits for a subtle, herbaceous punch. And corn and blueberries are a match made in heaven so the biscuits are made with a little cornmeal for a sweet and subtle corn flavor that pairs off the tart and juicy blueberries perfectly. I love the rustic feel of it baked in a skillet, too but you could certainly make this in a regular ole baking dish as well. Don't forget to serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream because it's absolutely necessary. Hope you have a safe and happy 4th!
Blueberry Basil Skillet Cobbler with Cornbread Biscuits
serves 7
filling
6 c fresh blueberries
zest of 1 lemon
1 T fresh lemon juice (about half a lemon)
1/2 c organic cane sugar
1/4 c arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
generous pinch of Himalayan pink salt
1 T fresh basil, finely chopped
biscuits
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1 T organic cane sugar
2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t Himalayan pink or kosher salt
1/2 c unsalted butter (1 stick), cold and cubed, plus more for buttering skillet
3/4 c buttermilk, plus more for brushing tops with
1 T fresh basil, finely chopped
turbinado (raw) sugar, for sprinkling tops
make the biscuits
Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is incorporated into the flour in large, pea-sized lumps (you could also do this in a food processor if you'd like). While stirring with a fork, gradually drizzle in the buttermilk and stir just until a shaggy dough forms. Dump dough out onto a work surface dusted with flour and gently knead the dough a few times to bring it together then pat the dough into about a 1 inch thick round. Using a 3 inch biscuit cutter (or whatever size you'd like - you can even just use a drinking glass), cut out biscuits. Re-roll the dough once to cut out the remaining biscuits. You should get about 7 biscuits. Pop the biscuits onto a parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheet and put them in the freezer to chill for about 15 minutes.
make the filling
While the biscuits are chilling in the freezer, let's make the filling. In a large bowl, toss together the blueberries, lemon zest and juice, sugar, arrowroot powder, salt, and basil until well combined.
assemble and bake
Rub a little butter around the bottom and sides of a 10 or 12 inch skillet. Add the filling to the skillet, spreading it out in an even layer and top the surface with the biscuits. Brush the biscuits with more buttermilk and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Bake cobbler for about 30-45 minutes, until filling is thick and bubbling and biscuits are puffed and golden-brown. Allow to cool slightly then serve still warm or room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoy!
