Celebrating 4th of July Abroad � Year 3
Today is an exciting day as my in-laws will be arriving here in Warsaw!
It�s also the Fourth of July back in the U.S.A.; and, this is the first time we�ll be celebrating with family since we moved abroad in 2010.
While most Americans will be grilling hamburgers outside today, I will be introducing my in-laws to Polish pierogies and Zywiec Beer. We�ll be strolling through the cobblestone streets of Old Town Square and admiring the Royal Castle.
It certainly won�t be a traditional Fourth of July by any means, but I did make a festive dessert for the occasion.
Since the Polish markets are bursting with berries right now, I bought a bunch of blueberries and ruby red raspberries to make my all-time favorite summer cobbler. This is a recipe I�ve used for several years with all kinds of fruit.
What's nice about this dessert is that you can use this recipe year-round with whatever seasonal fruit you have on hand such as rhubarb, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, peaches, plums, etc.
I fancied up my traditional cobbler with an idea I �borrowed� from Pinterest. (You can find me pinning away all things Polish and Turkish and favorite recipes here on Pinterest.) When you roll out your cobbler dough, cut out various star shapes and place them on top of your fruit.
Voil�! You instantly have a festive Fourth of July berry cobbler!
Hope all my American friends, wherever you may be, have a fun and safe Fourth of July!
Smacznego! (Bon app�tit in Polish)
Seasonal Fruit Cobbler
Ingredients:
1 kilo. (about 7 c.) raspberries and blueberries (or whatever fruit combination you prefer)
2 Tablespoons corn starch
110 g. (1/2 c.) granulated sugar
Cobbler Dough:
220 g. (1 2/3 c.) all-purpose flour
55 g. (1/4 c.) granulated sugar (plus a little more for sprinkling on top)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
70 g. (5 T.) cold butter, cut into small pieces
120 ml. (1/2 c.) whole milk (plus a little more for brushing on top the dough.)
Preheat the oven to 200 C.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the fruit, and toss to coat.
Transfer the fruit mixture to a medium-sized glass baking dish (about 20 cm by 26 cm or a standard 9"x13" pan) with sides that are about 5 cm. deep.
Set aside while making the cobbler dough.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the cold butter, using your fingertips (or paddle attachment), rub the butter together with the dry ingredients until a coarse meal forms. Then add the milk. Mix just until the ingredients come together.
Gather the dough together into a ball and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Gently knead 5 or 6 times.
Then, roll the dough about 12 mm thick. Using star cookie cutters, cut out stars. Arrange the dough stars on top of the fruit. Brush the tops with milk and then sprinkle granulated sugar or raw sugar on top.
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| Here is the unbaked cobbler sprinkled with raw sugar. |
Bake the cobbler until the fruit is bubbling and the cobbler dough is cooked through and a golden brown on top, about 30 minutes.
I like to serve my cobbler while still fairly hot/warm with ice cream.
The cobbler can be made 4 hours or so in advance and then rewarmed as needed. (NOTE: this time, I made the cobbler the night before and it seems just fine too.)