Mixed Berry Cobbler

In 1989, I delivered a 54-foot Bertram from Hong Kong to Guam and stayed for a year and a half to start the owner’s charter fishing operation. While there, I attended an outdoor Maxi Priest concert. Being 6-foot-1 and heads and shoulders taller than most of the Chamorro people there, I spotted a tall blond fellow to whom I gravitated. Steven Brownsea was an Australian captain who ran a Japanese sailing/racing syndicate and was on Guam as a stop-over en route to the U.S. West Coast. We became instant friends.

For the next 25 years, Steven and I have crossed wakes on occasion until he hung up his foul weather boots and took a full-time position on a 127-foot Crescent based in San Diego. So, it was with great pleasure that my old seadog of a friend would show up in South Florida recently with yacht and chef/wife in tow.

This Easter, Steven and Heather invited me to a holiday brunch aboard the Crescent and I was assigned dessert. I chose a variation on the blackberry cobbler that was standard fare growing up in the Pacific Northwest.

Photo by Capt. John Wampler

Ingredients:

1 cup turbinado (unrefined cane sugar)

1/3 cup cornstarch

2 cups fresh raspberries

2 cups fresh blueberries

2 cups fresh blackberries

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

2-3 Tbsp warm water

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish with spray shortening.

In a 4-quart skillet over medium heat mix the sugar and cornstarch. As the mixture starts to melt, add the berries and lemon juice and toss until evenly coated. Heat to boiling (about 4 minutes). Stir constantly until mixture thickens slightly. Transfer to the casserole dish.

In a large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Cut in butter using two crisscross knives until it looks like crumbles. Mix in enough warm water until it forms a soft dough. Drop the dough by the tablespoon atop the berry mixture.

Into the pre-heated oven, bake the cobbler for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream. Enjoy. JW