While they may not be one of the more common berries today, gooseberries are a versatile ingredient and make a lovely Gooseberry Cobbler that can be served plain or dressed with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
Gooseberries grow on spiny bushes and there are different varieties that will produce berries in various colors, including red, green, or yellow. They have a tart flavor and are often used to make jam, pies, and various baked goods. They are small berries, roughly the size of high bush blueberries. The color of the gooseberries will be reflected in the jam or baked goods. I like to use the ripe red gooseberries because I find them sweeter and the jam or baked goods more eye appealing and appetizing than is the case if green or yellow berries are used.
Gooseberries, for those who don’t have their own gooseberry bushes, are more likely to be found at Farmers Markets as opposed to in large supermarkets. Gooseberries tend to have a short season, at least here in PEI when they are in season late July into August.
The Gooseberry Cobbler recipe begins with prepping the gooseberries. Full disclosure, prepping the gooseberries can be a bit time-consuming and tedious as the stem and blossom ends have to be removed. The sharp tip of a pare knife and a bit of time and patience are useful tools for this procedure.
The next step involves a cooked gooseberry filling that is transferred to a baking dish. The filling is then topped with a rich biscuit topping that can be made with buttermilk or cream. However, if you don’t have either on hand, an equal amount of whole milk may be substituted though expect the topping to be less rich. I do not recommend fat-reduced milk in the cobbler topping.
This recipe has been developed to serve 4-6 people with four (4) being hearty servings and six (6) more standard-sized servings for a fairly rich dessert. I use my 1-quart/1-litre rectangular-shaped baking dish for this dessert as I find the dessert portions out well from that shape of dish. However, if you don’t have one of these dishes but have a 1-quart/1-litre square or round baking dish, either of those would work, too. Just make sure the dish is not too large as the filling will be too thin and run the risk of burning or sticking to the bottom of the baking dish and you will have very shallow dessert portions for serving.
The idea of a cobbler topping is that it is to resemble cobblestones which are typically uneven so perfection and exactness of cutting out the biscuit topping pieces are not critical. Think of the old cobblestone streets in Europe and that is the basic premise of what the biscuit topping tries to replicate in appearance. Sometimes, I will cut out fewer pieces of the biscuit topping, allowing the fruit filling to bubble up between the “cobblestones” and, other times, I will place the pieces almost touching each other. Either works.
Good till the very last scraping of the baking dish!
My Island Bistro Kitchen’s Gooseberry Cobbler
Ingredients:
Gooseberry Base:
12 oz/340g gooseberries, topped and tailed (stems and blossom ends removed)
2/3 – ¾ cup granulated sugar (depending on sweetness/maturity of berries)
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tsp orange juice
¼ tsp (rounded) cardamon
¼ tsp (rounded) nutmeg
½ tbsp butter
1¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
Cobbler Topping:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2¼ tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Pinch salt
¼ cup + ½ tbsp cold butter, diced into small cubes
1½ tsp finely grated orange rind
6 tbsp buttermilk or cream (either 5%M.F., 10%M.F., or 18%M.F)
2 tsp buttermilk or cream for brushing cobbler top
1 tbsp turbinado sugar, or 1½ – 2 tsp granulated sugar, for sprinkling on top of cobbler (optional)
Method:
To make Gooseberry Base:
Rinse gooseberries in cold water. Dry in tea towel. Using the tip of a sharp paring knife, remove and discard stem and tail ends from berries.
Place gooseberries in medium-sized heavy-bottomed saucepan. Mix the sugar into the berries. Let stand 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow sugar to dissolve with the juice from the berries. Add the remaining ingredients, except the butter and vanilla. Bring mixture just barely to the boiling point over medium heat, stirring periodically. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 1 minute longer. Remove mixture from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Set aside while preparing cobbler topping.
Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Pan
Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 1-quart/1-litre rectangular-shaped baking dish.
To make the cobbler topping:
In small bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt together. Toss the butter cubes with the dry ingredients and cut in the cold butter using a small pastry cutter. Stir in the grated orange rind. Stir in the buttermilk or cream and incorporate ingredients to make a shaggy dough. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Pat dough into about ½“ thickness, and shape into a rough rectangular shape the size to fit the baking dish. Do not overwork dough. Cut dough into equal-sized pieces of number desired to resemble cobblestone appearance and place over filling. With a silicone pastry brush, lightly brush topping with buttermilk or cream. Sprinkle turbinado (or granulated) sugar over cobbler topping, if desired.
Place baking dish on a foil-lined baking sheet (in case of any boil-overs) and transfer cobbler to oven. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until gooseberry base is bubbling and cobbler topping is golden tanned. Let cobbler sit for about 15-20 minutes to allow it to set before serving. Serve warm, either plain or with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
Yield: Apx. 4-6 servings
NOTES:
- The cobbler topping calls for buttermilk or cream; however, whole milk, in an equal amount, may be substituted. Fat-reduced dairy is not recommended.
- To make the recipe gluten-free, use an equal amount of a cup-for-cup all-purpose gluten-free flour instead of the wheat-based all-purpose flour called for in the recipe.
- Any 1-quart/1-litre baking dish will work for this dessert; the rectangular-shaped baking dish (shown in the photos) is a very easy dish from which to portion out the dessert.
For Other Cobbler Recipes From My Island Bistro Kitchen, click the links below:
Blueberry Cobbler
Rhubarb Cobbler
Plum Cobbler
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For Other Gooseberry Recipes From My Island Bistro Kitchen, click the links below:
My Island Bistro Kitchen’s Gooseberry Cobbler
Ingredients
Gooseberry Base:
- 12oz/340g gooseberries, topped and tailed (stems and blossom ends removed)
- 2/3– ¾ cup granulated sugar (depending on sweetness/maturity of berries)
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp finely grated orange zest
- 1 tsp orange juice
- ¼ tsp (rounded) cardamon
- ¼ tsp (rounded) nutmeg
- ½ tbsp butter
- 1¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
Cobbler Topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2¼ tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- Pinch salt
- ¼ cup + 1/2 tbsp cold butter, diced into small cubes
- 1½ tsp finely grated orange rind
- 6 tbsp buttermilk or cream (either 5%M.F., 10%M.F., or 18%M.F)
- 2 tsp buttermilk or cream for brushing cobbler top
- 1 tbsp turbinado sugar, or 1½ – 2 tsp granulated sugar, for sprinkling on top of cobbler (optional)
Instructions
To make Gooseberry Base:
-
Rinse gooseberries in cold water. Dry in tea towel. Using the tip of a sharp paring knife, remove and discard stem and tail ends from berries.
-
Place gooseberries in medium-sized heavy-bottomed saucepan. Mix the sugar into the berries. Let stand 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow sugar to dissolve with the juice from the berries. Add the remaining ingredients, except the butter and vanilla. Bring mixture just barely to the boiling point over medium heat, stirring periodically. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 1 minute longer. Remove mixture from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Set aside while preparing cobbler topping.
Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Pan
-
Position oven rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 1-quart/1-litre rectangular-shaped baking dish.
To make the cobbler topping:
-
In small bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt together. Toss the butter cubes with the dry ingredients and cut in the cold butter using a small pastry cutter. Stir in the grated orange rind. Stir in the buttermilk or cream and incorporate ingredients to make a shaggy dough. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Pat dough into about ½“ thickness, and shape into a rough rectangular shape the size to fit the baking dish. Do not overwork dough. Cut dough into equal-sized pieces of number desired to resemble cobblestones appearance and place over filling. With a silicone pastry brush, lightly brush topping with buttermilk or cream. Sprinkle turbinado (or granulated) sugar over cobbler topping, if desired.
-
Place baking dish on a foil-lined baking sheet (in case of any boil-overs) and transfer cobbler to oven. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until gooseberry base is bubbling and cobbler topping is golden tanned. Let cobbler sit for about 15-20 minutes to allow it to set before serving. Serve warm, either plain or with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
Recipe Notes
Yield: Apx. 4-6 servings
[Copyright My Island Bistro Kitchen]
NOTES:
1. The cobbler topping calls for buttermilk or cream; however, whole milk, in an equal amount, may be substituted. Fat-reduced dairy is not recommended.
2. To make the recipe gluten-free, use an equal amount of a cup-for-cup all-purpose gluten-free flour instead of the wheat-based all-purpose flour called for in the recipe.
3. Any 1-quart/1-litre baking dish will work for this dessert; the rectangular-shaped baking dish (shown in the photos) is a very easy dish from which to portion out the dessert.
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