Tuesday, July 22, 2008

TWD: Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler

Fruit, fruit, fruit… I loves me some fruit. So, I’ve been excited about a lot of the Tuesdays with Dorie selections incorporating seasonal fruit. Yum.

This week, I was especially excited, because the recipe that I originally had picked out was chosen: Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler. You see… I had this recipe picked out for months, there hadn’t been any cobblers chosen yet and I love cherries and was so curious to find out how rhubarb tasted with cherries… But, then, a couple of weeks before my turn came up… someone picked a cobbler and I decided to try out a pie recipe instead of having cobbler recipes back to back. So, I was totally psyched when this recipe was chosen.

I happily paid $7.25 for my 1.24 lbs of sweet Rainer cherries at the grocery store last week and it was all I could do to keep from eating them all. Dude, I totally forgot how dadgum delicious fresh cherries are! And especially sweet ones!

I whipped up the cobbler on Saturday morning and took it over to my parents house. It came together easily. I used fresh cherries and frozen rhubarb, which I thawed and squeezed additional water out of.

And, I’m not sure if I didn’t do the topping correctly or what, but I just didn’t like it. The topping had a weird flavor to it, I can’t help but think that it was the whole wheat flour. I mean, I love being able to use whole wheat flour (heck, I even used the white whole wheat flour that King Arthur makes), but it just had a weird "wang" that I wasn’t happy about. And the fruit filling… well, it was good, but it didn’t get as thick as I would have liked. Maybe it could have used more cornstarch? I found myself wishing that I hadn’t used all the cherries in the recipe. I’d rather had them raw.

Well, anyway… I’ll stick to my clafouti-type cobblers from now on, I think. I'm starting to feel like an ingrateful TWDer... it seems like I haven't really loved many of the recipes in awhile (including the one I chose!). I'm in a dorie slump methinks. But, at least I'm getting to try a bunch of different things that I normally would never make! And the experience of trying lots of different things can only make me a better and more informed baker. (Even if I am one picky beotch sometimes).

I’m sure everyone else’s was good and if you like a hearty biscuit topped cobbler, give this one a try… the cherries and rhubarb complement each other pretty well. And be sure to check out the recipe at Amanda's blog: Like Sprinkles on a Cupcake and all the other TWDers (who are hopefully less picky and easier to please than moi) at: Tuesdays With Dorie.

15 comments:

NKP said...

I agree about the topping, I liked the last cobbler better. It was nice of you to share yours, I'm sure it was tasty.
I had my first Ranier cherry the other day. It was yellow, delish!

Sarah said...

i agree the topping tasted different, but it was good right out of the oven.

Anonymous said...

I thought it was good, but I wouldn't make the topping again, I don't think, unless I was on a health kick, maybe. I thought it tasted health-foodie, as did another woman at my office (where I always bring my baked goods). And normally, things I bring are gone by early afternoon. There was still leftovers this morning. So Dorie's cobbler wasn't a fave in the office.

kimberly salem said...

i liked the cherries better raw, too! oh well :) sorry you didn't love the topping, but at least you gave it a try!

Susie Homemaker said...

try the topping with all AP flour and a little less ginger - I was surprised how much it changed the flavor - and I ended up LOVING it!! great photos...

Engineer Baker said...

White whole wheat flour might take that weird taste out, who knows. It looks beautiful!

Pamela said...

It did look good. Sorry that you feel like your in a bit of a Dorie slump. :o( You'll get a good one soon, I'm sure!

Anonymous said...

sorry you're kind of in a slump right now. i'm sure you'll come out of it soon. but i have to tell you, when you said the cobbler had a "weird wang" that REALLY made me laugh. it's a perfect description. :)

Jules Someone said...

I'm with you. I didn't love it. And I used the white whole wheat flour as well. At least it looked pretty.

Nickki said...

I also prefered the cherries raw. I do like cobbler but this one just didn't rock my world either. Oh well, you can't like them all I suppose, better luck next week with the galette :)

BAKE-EN said...

That's too bad you didn't like the topping. Hopefully you just scraped it off, and ate all the yummy fruit below.

CB said...

Bummer you weren't a fan (I wasn't either) but everyone has different palette tastes so now you know right? There's always next week!
Clara @ iheartfood4thought

Aaliyah said...

Sorry you didn't like the topping. I am beginning to wonder if I made mine wrong because it didn't taste like wheaty stuff that some have said it tasted like. Hmmm?

Well, I hope you enjoyed the rest of the fruity goodness that lay just beneath that topping because that was awesome too.

I hope next week is a better one for you and I look forward to your post!

Dolores said...

I think part of the value of baking through the book (at least for me) is figuring out which recipes work for you, which ones don't, and why.

And I thought I was paying a lot at $3.99/pound for cherries...

Bungalow Barbara said...

Hope you got to enjoy some of the Rainier cherries fresh -- they sure are wonderful!

Have you posted your favorite cobbler recipe? Is it the peach one you've posted? If not, I'd love to hear more about it. I love biscuit-style cobblers but I have a feeling I would love other styles too.