A Devil of a Dessert

In the mood for a little riddle?


What does this:

+

This:

 

Equal?

This:

Okay, here's the story.

Today is the feast of St. Michael the Archangel (Michaelmas).

Legend has it that St. Michael is responsible for driving the devil out of Heaven, wherein he landed in . . .

A blackberry bramble!   Ooooch!!

And he was maaad!

So according to an old Irish folk tale, blackberries should be harvested and used up by this date, because the devil returns each year to find, curse, and spit on the fruits of the plant he landed on, rendering them inedible thereafter.  So use them up! 

Sounds like a good of a reason to make a quick blackberry cobbler as any, so here is a good recipe.

Blackberry Cobbler

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons cold butter
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 cups fresh blackberries, rinsed and drained

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. 
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/4 cup boiling water just until mixture is evenly moist.
3. In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in cold water. Mix in remaining 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, and blackberries. Transfer to a cast iron skillet, and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Drop dough into the skillet by spoonfuls. Place skillet on the foil lined baking sheet.
4. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until dough is golden brown.

This recipe is from AllRecipes. com, but I can personally vouch for it, except I usually substitute freshly ground nutmeg for the cinnamon and get a splash of vanilla in somewhere.


So there you have it.  

I think I may make a batch of fresh vanilla ice cream to go on top while I'm at it.


Enjoy!