School is out! My grandchildren are packing up to spend the first weekend of Summer at the beach with me.
And with the Memorial Day holiday upon us, friends are coming to the beach for visits too. The house will be full, busy, and FUN. This crazy delicious Strawberry Cobbler is the perfect thing to keep in the fridge for kids and guests alike. Topped with sorbet makes it extra heavenly!
#SummerIsHere #MemorialDay #GumboLove
Strawberry Cobbler
Serves 8 to 10
Crust:
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter,
cut into 1/4 inch chunks and placed in the freezer
12 tablespoons ice water
Nonstick baking spray
Filling:
8 cups fresh strawberries hulled and halved
3 cups sugar
½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for brushing
To make the crust:
1. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to thoroughly combine.
2. Add the cold butter and pulse until a course meal forms.
3. Add 6 tablespoons of the ice water and pulse three or four times. Add the remaining 6 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough begins to form a ball and pulls away from the sides of the ball.
4. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it in half. Form each half into a ball, then flatten it into a disk. Wrap each disc in plastic. Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator before using it.
5. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease two 9 x 13“ baking pans with nonstick baking spray.
6. On a floured surface roll out one chilled dough disk into a roughly 9 x 13“ rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Trim the dough to fit inside the prepared baking pan; the dough should cover the bottom of the pan only, not go up the sides of the pan.
7. Use a fork to prick the dough all over, then bake for about 10 minutes or until the edges are just turning brown. Remove the crust from the oven and set aside to cool.
For the filling:
8. While the crust is baking, in a large heavy sauce pan, combine the strawberries, 3 cups of the sugar, the flour, and the salt. Stir and let the mixture sit while the strawberries start releasing their juices, creating a syrup. Add the lemon juice and mix well.
9. Cook the strawberry mixture over low to medium heat until it begins to thicken, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter, and let the mixture cool completely.
To assemble:
10. Spread half the strawberry mixture into the second prepared pan. Turn the pre-baked crust out of the first pan and place it over the strawberry layer. Evenly spread the remaining strawberry mixture over the crust.
11. Roll out the second disk of dough as directed in step 7 and place it over the strawberry mixture. Prick the dough with a fork or cut small slits in it to allow steam to escape.
12. Whisk together the egg and water. Brush the dough with the egg wash and sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar over the top.
13. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Remove the cobbler from the oven. Brush the melted butter over the top of the baked cobbler. Let cool to slightly warm or room temperature and serve with sorbet.
