There is finally a local CSA in our downtown NYC neighborhood and, despite the fact that our girls will be at sleepaway camp for half the summer, I joined. I got a fruit, vegetable and juice 12-week summer share. The vegetables can throw me for a loop (garlic snapes and Harukei turnips and [unshelled]fava beans, anyone?).
The past few weeks, I’ve made collard greens, roasted kale, beets & fava salad. CRAZY STUFF that I never thought I’d ever make. But that’s what a CSA is all about: the surprise of the bounty and then, “OH MY GOD, WHAT THE HECK AM I GOING TO MAKE BEFORE ALL OF THIS GOES BAD?!”
What really gets me excited every week is the fruit, because I end up making summer-perfect desserts.
Like this crazy-good Blueberry Caramel Skillet Cobbler, which is a recipe I got from the latest Food Network magazine issue. What I love about Food Network magazine recipes is that they are so not intimidating. And the fact that *I* can bake it, so can you.
So, put those CSA blueberries and your cast iron skillet to use in this beautiful summer dessert and read on.
This is where it all starts: a big pile of blueberries with some vanilla extract, right before they get tossed in some flour.
While the blueberries wait, the brown sugar starts caramelizing in the cast iron skillet…
Then, the blueberries get to go in the sweet goodness for about seven minutes, along with a splash of fresh lemon juice.
The butter and flour mixture gets worked together. The Food Network recipe says to work them with your hands, but I found that the heat from your hands melted the butter and made it into a dough, so I used my wisk instead and worked them together until it looks like a fine meal.
The egg yolk and buttermilk mixture then gets put into the flour mixture (see the picture from the Food Network magazine?!)…
…and then gets spread on the caramelized blueberry mixture.
Thirty-five minutes in a 375° oven and this deliciousness is what comes out.
HOW GOOD DOES THAT LOOK?!
- 6 cups fresh blueberries (about 3 pints)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature
- 3 large egg yolks
- ½ cup buttermilk
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Toss the berries with 1 teaspoon vanilla and 3 tablespoons flour; set aside.
- Combine the brown sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a medium ovenproof skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until thick and caramelized, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the lemon juice then the berry mixture and set aside.
- Whisk the remaining 1 cup flour, the granulated sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
- Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture with a masher until evenly incorporated and the mixture resembles fine meal. (The original recipe called to use your hands, but I found that this melted the butter and didn’t make the mixture into a fine meal, but more of a dough.)
- Whisk the egg yolks with the buttermilk and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla in a small bowl, then gradually whisk into the flour mixture until the batter is smooth.
- Spread the batter evenly in the skillet so the berries are almost covered.
- Bake until the top is golden, about 35 minutes. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine. Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/blueberry-caramel-skillet-cobbler.html?oc=linkback.
Visit the Local Roots CSA website for more information (and to join!).
I was not compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are mine.