Cobbled Together With Love

My husband was one of two boys and my mother-in-law was mighty glad when he got married. She'd been swimming in the testosterone sea long enough and was thrilled to have another woman in the family. When my in-laws crossed the state to visit us, she'd bring over dishes and pans that she found at garage sales (she's the queen of garage sales) to stretch out my meager newlywed kitchen. Then she'd take me to the grocery store and buy treats to stock our cupboards and give me advice and pointers on how to be a homemaker.

One of the best things she shared with me was her recipe for cobbler. This is a wonderfully versatile recipe that you can adapt to fit your tastes, preferences, and whatever fruit is in season. It's not especially elegant, but it's quick to throw together and tastes like the very best of warm, home-made comfort food.

My mother-in-law loves tasting mostly fruit, so she makes this in a 9 x 13-inch pan. I love the dough, so I'll use a 9 x 9-inch pan or double the dough for a 9 x 13-inch pan. You can use a single fruit or pair up fruits. I used peaches and blueberries for this one. I also love apples and blueberries together. You can add extra spices according to your taste. Maybe some cinnamon and nutmeg with apples or some ginger with pears? Play with it and have fun.



Pat's Any Way You Like Cobbler

Your choice of fresh fruit, sliced
Sugar
Tapioca
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

- Fill a pan (9 x 13-inch for mostly fruit, 9 x 9-inch for more dough) about 2/3 full with fruit.

- Sprinkle the fruit with sugar. Just a bit if it's very sweet fruit. Be more generous for tart fruit.

-Sprinkle the fruit with tapioca. This absorbs the excess juice, so you'll need to add more for very juicy fruits or berries.

- For the dough combine the egg, sugar, and melted butter. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir till smooth. Stir in the milk. Stir till smooth. Pour the flour mixture over the fruit in the pan.

- Bake for about 1 hour, till the top is browned. The time will vary depending on how much fruit, what size pan, and how much dough you used.