It’s a frigid December afternoon, the wind is whipping at my face, and I’m in my backyard huddled over a kettle of white hot coals, watching the crust form on a fruit cobbler I’m desperately hoping won’t burn.
Though I love outdoor cooking even in arctic temps, I typically avoid baking – too much exact science and not enough room for experimentation (or mistakes.) Not counting chocolate milkshakes, I honestly can’t recall the last time I made a dessert, so I was amazed at how well this cast-iron beauty looked (and tasted) after the smoke cleared.
The surprising takeaway: cobblers are ideal for outside cooking. Though they do require turning at regular intervals to avoid burning over hotspots, a cobbler is exceptionally forgiving in high heat. A hint of char ringing the sides of the pan adds a rustic character and seals in the gooey sweet center and warm fluffy topping.
Cast-Iron Cobbler
8 to 10 servings
6 cups frozen peaches, thawed and drained, or 8 fresh medium peaches, pitted, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries (thawed and drained if frozen)
¾ cup sugar, divided
1¼ cup (2½ sticks) cold butter, divided
1½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. flour, divided
1 Tbsp. bourbon
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. plus a dash kosher salt
2 tsp. baking powder
¾ cup whole milk
Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together the peaches, blueberries, ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup butter, 2 tablespoons flour, the bourbon, cinnamon and a dash of salt. Set aside.
• In another large mixing bowl, sift together the remaining 1½ cups flour, the remaining ½ cup sugar, baking powder and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt.
• Dice ¾ cup butter and use your hands to mix it into the flour mixture, breaking it apart and working them into sandy crumbs. Add the milk and stir with a fork until thickened, but still a bit lumpy.
• Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for indirect medium-high heat and preheat to 350 to 400 degrees.
• Rub the surface and sides of a 10- to 12-inch cast-iron skillet with the remaining ¼ cup butter. Add the fruit filling to the skillet and cover with foil. Place the skillet over indirect heat, cover the grill and bake 10 minutes.
• Remove the foil and spoon the crust mixture atop the fruit in large dollops, covering the surface as much as possible. Cover again with foil and close the grill.
• Bake 70 minutes, turning the skillet 90 degrees every 10 minutes to evenly distribute the heat. The crust should be light brown.
• Remove the skillet and let rest, covered, 1 hour before serving with generous scoops of vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Matt Berkley is a longtime contributor to Sauce Magazine.
This article appears in January 2018.
