Native wild blackberries grow well in the Texas Hill Country soil, so local farmers have an easy time cultivating the modern varieties with bigger plumper berries. Chef Ross Burtwell likes pairing the blackberries with pecans that also grow locally. At the Cabernet Grill he serves the cobbler with cinnamon ice cream but vanilla is also fine.
Ingredients
Blackberry Filling
- Fresh Blackberries 5 cups
- Butter ½ cup
- Granulated Sugar ½ cup
- Cinnamon 2 tsp
- Ground Allspice ¼ tsp
- Cornstarch 1 Tbs
- Water 1 Tbs
- Pure Vanilla Extract 2 tsp
- Port Wine 1/3 cup
Cobbler Batter
- Butter ½ cup, cubed
- Granulated Sugar 1 cup
- All-Purpose Flour 1 ¼ cups
- Cinnamon 1 tsp
- Baking Powder 2 tsp
- Milk 1 cup
- Pecan Pieces ½ cup, toasted
Cook It
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine the blackberries, butter, sugar, cinnamon, allspice and wine. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Stir the cornstarch and water together and stir into the blackberry mixture. Increase the heat and allow the mixture to boil for one minute. As the cornstarch thickens the blackberry liquid and the mixture becomes glossy, reduce the heat to medium and cook stirring occasionally for three minutes.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and allow the mixture to cool.
- Place the butter into a 9 x 13 baking dish and set in the oven for three or four minutes until the butter melts.
- In a small bowl combine all the remaining ingredients for the batter and mix until lightly blended.
- Pour the batter into the baking dish on top of the butter, and cover with blackberry filling.
- Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Test by inserting a toothpick into an area of the cobbler that has no blackberry filling, if the toothpick comes out clean it is finished. If it comes out with batter attached to it, cook it a bit longer
- Spoon into individual serving bowls and serve hot topped with ice cream.
