Cherry Cobbler

A great dessert to chase away the winter blahs.

The most difficult part of this recipe is finding the cherries. The next most difficult part is paying for them. They will not be cheap. A simple fifteen-ounce can of tart cherries will set you back at least five bucks! I have seen them as high as seven! But, for a dessert with multiple servings, five bucks is, after all, pretty economical.

A specialty or up-scale grocery store should stock tart cherries.

This recipe is based on my peach cobbler; except, I use cherries. It is important not to make this too sweet. The first time I made it, I used a bit of cinnamon and allspice. It is best to just leave it alone and let the cherries do the talking. But, do add a few drops of almond flavoring. The topping of slivered almonds looks nice but is not at all necessary.

As you can see from the picture, this is not a "true" cobbler in the all-encompassing fruitness of cobbler definitions. It borders more on the unfortunately-named "dump-cake."  But it is easy to prepare and the buttery cake-like interior pillows the tart cherries beautifully.

Don't even be tempted to use canned pie filling.

• For the cherries:
• 1, 14.5-ounce can red tart cherries
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch
• A few drops almond extract
• 
  
• For the batter:
• 1 cup sugar (reserve two tablespoons)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup or one stick butter

Preheat oven to 400 F. Have your batter ingredients measured and ready to go.

Drain cherries but reserve the juice.

Place cherry juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a small pan and bring to a slow boil over medium heat. Cook until juices thicken to a kind of syrup. Remove from heat. Add the cherries and almond extract.

Place butter in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish and place in the oven to melt. You want the dish hot, so don't skip this step.

Prepare the batter. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl whisking until smooth.

Remove dish from oven and immediately pour in the batter. The melted butter will be displaced and seek the edges. Don't worry. Now, using a spoon, strategically place the hot cherries and syrup evenly over the batter. 

Sprinkle with the reserved two tablespoons of sugar. If desired, sprinkle with slivered almonds. Return to oven and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove. Allow to somewhat cool before serving.