Blueberry Cobbler by Thomas Keller

Our dessert from the cookout that Koen & I had in December.
The grey and wet weather outside was the main reason that Koen and I settled almost instantly to make this blueberry cobbler…

Even though it is so easy to make, for some reason, I never made an actual cobbler. This yummy one is definitely one to try yourself. The sponge cake-like topping soaked up all the fruit juices, and the blueberries were not overly sweet due to the lovely freshness coming from the lemon zest.

As instructed, we served it warm, but without whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Due to the delicious pairing with blueberries, I made a home-made spiced mango sorbet. The kids came back for seconds and – to no avail – thirds.

The recipe (serves 8)

For the topping

• 225g / 8oz flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 75g / 2¾oz unsalted butter, room temperature
• 150g / 5½oz caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 125ml / ½ cup buttermilk

For the filling

• 900g / 8 cups blueberries
• 50g (1¾oz) caster sugar
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp caster sugar

For the mango sorbet

• 180g / ¾ cup caster sugar
• 180g / ¾ cup water
• 500g / 2 cups mango purée (I used the ginger and coriander infused mango purée by Boiron)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Combine the water and caster sugar for the mango sorbet in a saucepan and bring it slowly to a boil. Let it boil for a couple of minutes before turning off the heat and let the sugar syrup cool completely.
2. Mix the mango purée, lemon juice, and the sugar syrup together and let it churn in your ice cream maker for 45-50 minutes until smooth and (if needed) freeze until using.
3. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180℃/350℉.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together in a bowl and set aside.
5. Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a kitchen mixer fitted with the paddle extension and mix on a low-speed to combine, then on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until light and creamy, scraping down the sides if necessary.
6. Beat in the eggs one at a time and then add the dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with 2 batches of buttermilk. Finally, scrape down the sides and mix again to be sure that all the ingredients are combined.
7. Put the blueberries in a 23x33cm (9×13″) baking-dish and toss with the sugar, flour, and lemon zest and spread out evenly.
8. Spoon mounds of the batter over the blueberries, leaving space between each one.
   
9. Combine the cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over the batter and bake the cobbler for about 40 minutes or until the juices are bubbling and the topping is golden brown and cooked through.
10. Let it stand for at least 10 minutes before serving (the hardest part as the smell is mouth-watering 🤤).

Leftovers – if any 😇 – can be refrigerated for up to two days, but in our experience, the cobbler does taste better when warmed.