How do you think my cobbler compares to Martha's?
When Friday finally got here last week, I was so excited to get home and begin a lazy weekend. The past couple weekends were filled with wine tasting, beer festivals, Fourth of July celebrations, and Superhero pub crawls (read: lots of drinking), so I was thrilled to camp out at home, stay in sweats, and spend some quality time in front of the TV. I do want to note that, yes, I said "sweats". It is still cold in Portland, and this past weekend was a rainy one. Perfect for staying in.
When I woke up on Saturday morning, I grabbed a stack of neglected Martha Stewart Living magazines, crawled back in bed, and set out to plan a couple meals. The tomato cobbler recipe was something that had caught my eye in the brief perusal of the July issue I had done right when it first arrived. I am not a huge fan of raw tomatoes, but cooked tomatoes are so delectable. It was the first recipe I marked as a "must make" for the weekend. The other two recipes I marked, a strawberry rhubarb pie and Moroccan meat pies, did not get prepared. The tomato cobbler is huge, fed me all weekend, and will continue to feed me for at least two more meals. It is also exceedingly delicious.
For the filling:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 pounds cherry tomatoes
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
For the biscuit topping:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
Coarse salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese, plus 1 Tbsp for sprinkling
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, plus more for brushing
1. Make the filling. Heat oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let cool.
2. Toss onion mixture, tomatoes, flour, and red pepper flakes with 1 1/2 tsp salt and some pepper.
3. Preheat oven to 375F. Make the biscuit topping: whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1 tsp salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers until small clumps form. Stir in cheese, then add cream, stirring with a fork to combine until dough forms. (Dough will be slightly sticky).
4. Transfer tomato mixture to a 2-quart baking dish (2-inches deep). Spoon 7 clumps of biscuit dough (about 1/2 cup each) over the top in a circle, leaving the center open. Brush dough with cream and sprinkle with remaining Tbsp cheese. Bake until tomatoes are bubbling in the center and the biscuits are golden brown, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for 20 minutes.
I couldn't resist getting some strawberries when I was out purchasing the ingredients for the cobbler. I cut them, sprinkled them with just a touch of sugar, and let them macerate. There was heavy cream left over from the cobbler, so I whipped it and scooped a mound on the strawberries. A perfect end to a perfect Saturday dinner.
Bon appetit.
