Just this week someone interchanged the words cobbler and crisps, crumbles and struesel and tried to convince me there were one in the same. They are not...there are differences. History shows that the early settlers from Europe tried their traditional meat 'pyes' in various forms in North America. Fruit being handy the pies were often fruit pies rather than meat. At the beginning...these fruit pies were eaten for breakfast or for main meals as fruit was plentiful....only in later years did it move from the main table to the dessert table. Here then are the differences in the types of 'pyes' or pies.
Cobbler - Cobblers are a North American deep-dish fruit dessert or pie with a thick crust (usually a biscuit crust) and a fruit filling (such as peaches, apples, berries). Some versions are enclosed in the crust, while others have a drop-biscuit or crumb topping.
Crisps and Crumbles - Crisps are baked with the fruit mixture on the bottom with a crumb topping. The crumb topping can be made with flour, nuts, bread crumbs, cookie or graham cracker crumbs, or even breakfast cereal. Crumble are the British version of the North American Crisp.
Betty or Brown Betty - A Betty consist of a fruit, most commonly apples, baked between layers of buttered crumbs. Bettys are an English pudding dessert closely related to the French apple charlotte. Betty was a popular baked pudding made during colonial times in North America.
Having never made a cobbler I decided to use the meager last pickings of blackberries this morning and combine them with apples for a fruit cobbler. You may use any combo of fresh fruit. This particular cobbler uses a full biscuit crust on top and is low ca (170 per slice actually) l....using Splenda and 1% milk. No extra sugar to take away from the goodness of the fruit.
- 3 cups blackberries(or mixed fruit - I used 2 cups blackberries and 1 cup apple)
- 1/4 cup Splenda for baking
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup 1% milk
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter or margarine (melted)
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tbsp Splenda for baking
- 1/4 tsp baking pwd
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 egg white beaten with 2 tsp water and 2 tsp sugar (optional)
Preheat oven to 375. Lightly coat an 8 x 8 inch baking dish or a 9 inch glass pie plate with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl toss the berries lightly with the Splenda, cornstarch and 1 tsp lemon juice. Place in baking dish.
In a small bowl combine the milk, t2 tsp lemon juice and the butter. Set aside
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, 2 tbsp Splenda, baking pwd. and baking soda. Add the milk mixture and mix it with a spoon until the dough comes together. Knead gently 3 to 4 times and then remove from bowl. On a lightly floured surface pat the dough out until large enough to cover the baking dish. Place on top of the fruit. Brush with egg mixture. Cut small vents into the biscuit topping. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until crust is brown and berries bubble up through vents. Lovely...simple.