Feel free to flavour the topping with orange or lemon zest, if you like.
40 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 6
About the recipe
Sweet and sour blackberries stewed with apples and pears, then nestled beneath a comforting blanket of biscuit dough, my blackberry cobbler is the perfect pud to finish off those late-autumn lunches. Wrap up, get cosy and get cobbling!
Ingredients
1 small orange
50g light brown soft sugar
1 vanilla pod
4 pears
4 eating apples
400g ripe blackberries
100ml brandy
vanilla ice cream, to serve
TOPPING
100g unsalted butter (cold)
100g ground almonds
100g light brown soft sugar
100g self-raising flour
Top Tip
To make this alcohol free, simply leave out the brandy and don’t flambé.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
- Place a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat and squeeze in the juice of the orange. Add the sugar, halve the vanilla pod lengthways, scrape out the seeds, then add the seeds and pod to the pan. Bring to the boil.
- Peel and quarter the pears lengthways, remove and discard the cores, then add to the pan. Peel and cut each apple into 8 pieces, remove the cores, then add to the pan with half of the blackberries, tossing everything together. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the fruit starts to soften.
- Make the topping by placing all the ingredients into a bowl with a pinch of sea salt, using your fingertips to rub in the butter until it makes a dough. Divide and roll into 8 rustic balls – it doesn't have to be perfect.
- Add the brandy and remaining blackberries to the pan, give it a shake, then carefully set fire to it with a match, if you like (stand back!). Once the flames begin to subside, make sure the fruit is in an even layer, then dot the dough balls on top, nestling them into the pan.
- Place in the oven for 25 minutes, or until golden, bubbling and delicious, then serve with vanilla ice cream.
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