Simple Shiny Top Cobbbler

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This recipe is one that everyone claims to be their own. It's often called shiny topped cobbler and I first found it called by that name in The Pittsburgh Post Gazette. It then moved uptown for an appearance in Wine Country Living where it had become Mixed Berry Cobbler, a dessert considered to be worthy of ending a holiday feast. Whatever you call it, I can assure you it is really, really good and amazingly easy to prepare. Follow directions to a tee, even when they seem counter intuitive, and you'll have no problems. Contrary to popular belief, you may use fresh or frozen fruit to make the cobbler and you are not limited to berries. Any soft fruit may be used. I used a bag of frozen mixed berries from a local warehouse store to make the version I'm featuring today. If you don't have this recipe, let me assure you it's a treasure to have on hand when seasonal fruits ripen. If you already have the recipe, consider let this as a reminder of how very good this cobbler is.

Table for Two - Lemon Blueberry Cobbler

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's really hard to find dessert recipes designed for two people. This one comes from Gourmet magazine and it was featured on one of Sara Moulton's shows over a decade ago. I still use it when I have a supply of truly flavorful, fresh or frozen berries on hand. These berries actually moved with us. Space made it necessary to be more selective with my pots and pans, and the need to winnow led to the elimination of duplicates in my collection of bakeware. I kept most of my 9-inch pans but smaller sizes were sent to the Salvation Army for redistribution. While it's embarrassing to admit, I actually had to borrow an 8-inch pan to make this dessert, providing yet another example of my penchant to demonstrate that we "grow too soon old and too late smart". I think you'll like this dessert, especially if you serve it while it is still warm. I've cut way back on the amount of cardamom originally called for in the recipe and I've slightly increased the amount of cream used to make the biscuit topper. While cardamom is lovely with the fresh lemon, you can substitute cinnamon if you have an aversion to it. I hope those of you who are cooking for two will give this recipe a try. You will not regret it. Here is how the cobbler is made.