Cherry Apple Cobbler

Do you find homemade pies intimidating? Never fear, this cobbler has everything you love about pie in an easier format. Just mix, dump, and top with crust!

As part of the Book Club Cook Book Cooking Crew, this month Ashley (Cheese Curd in Paradise) hosted with an invitation to read The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara and/or make Civil War Cherry Apple Cobbler with Sweet Vanilla Custard, or a recipe inspired by it/the story. Unfortunately, I don’t have much free time to read a new book every month but I am always down for eating!

While apples are easy to find year round, cherries are not as common. This recipe avoids that dilemma by using unsweetened canned cherries. (I  would have preferred using fresh cherries. Alas, that was not in the cards so I stuck with the can.)

The apple-cherry filling is topped with essentially a pie crust, so it’s almost like an inverted pie. You could probably use a store bought prepared pie crust if you wanted a short cut. I’ve even seen a cobbler of apple pie cinnamon rolls made with store-bought cinnamon rolls.

When it came to serving this up-side-down cherry apple cobbler pie, I did go ahead and use vanilla ice cream instead of making the vanilla custard. Even though I adore custard I already had some ice cream on hand and I have a weakness for ice cream melting over a hot dessert.

Don’t miss the giveaway at the end of this post for a chance to win your own copy of The Book Club Cook Book.

One year ago: Greek Lemon Potatoes

Two years ago: Oven-Fried Mac and Cheese Ravioli Salad

Three years ago: Baked Banana-Pecan Oatmeal

CHERRY APPLE COBBLER

Serves 10-12

CRUST

1-1/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter

1/4 cup cold milk

1/2 tsp white vinegar

1 egg, beaten

Course sugar for sprinkling

FILLING

1 (15.5 oz) can unsweetened cherries, drained

5 cups peeled and thinly sliced apples

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup black cherry preserves

Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-1/2 quart casserole dish and set aside.
2. For the crust, in a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter by pulsing in a food processor or cutting in with a knife until it resembles coarse wet sand.
3. Add vinegar to milk, add to flour mixture, and mix until distributed. With hands, form dough into a round flattened disc, wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
4. To make the filling, in a large bowl, stir together all of the filling ingredients. Set aside.
5. Roll out the dough 10 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin to fit your casserole dish.
6. To assemble, pour cherry-apple filling into prepared casserole dish. Cover with the crust and loosely seal the edges. Cut a steam hole in the middle and brush egg over the surface of the crust. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
7. Bake 55-60 minutes, until the crust is nicely browned and apples are tender. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

Source: Filling adapted slightly from The Book Club Cookbook. Crust from my Dad.

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