I like Cobbler. I like blueberries. This Blueberry lemon cobbler recipe however, is on a whole new level. The fresh picked berries from blase family farms were perfect by themselves, but inside this cobbler, they really came to life. Getting a helping hand from preserved lemons, the flavors of this all sing together like a choir of beyonces.
Fresh blueberries, and preserved lemon might sound like a bit of an odd combination, but believe me, it works. I’ve had “blueberry lemon” cobbler before, but honestly, the lemon never really stands out. Sure it helps add a nice brightness and zip, but the actual lemon flavor gets a bit lost. So instead of relying on just fresh lemons, I thought adding preserved lemons might be the extra muscle needed to really balance everything out.
So what exactly is a preserved lemon?
Elyssa Goldberg describes it perfectly in this article on Bon Appetite by saying “Preserved lemons are essential to North African kitchens, where they’re used to add brightness, salt, and depth to tagines and stews, dressings and sauces, and countless other dishes.”
Essentially, preserved lemons are simply lemons “pickled” in water, salt, and lemon juice. This gives them a salty, intensely lemon flavor, but curbs their tartness a bit.
Watch the Salt!
Preserved lemons are very salty, so to get the lemon flavor element without over salting, the salted butter is replaced with unsalted, and I simply removed my usual teaspoon of salt for the batter.
“Those crispy edges tho…”
Being a fan of anything rustic, I decided to use a cast iron skillet for this cobbler. A ceramic baking dish has been the usual vessel of choice, but I’m so glad I tried the skillet. It created some amazing crispy, slightly chewy outer edges. It did spill over a bit in the oven, so depending on how deep your skillet is, put a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom rack of your oven to help avoid a burned sugar mess.
A good home made whipped cream is the perfect partner for this tangy delight. I chose to infuse mine with Basil to add another dimension. If you’ve never infused whipped cream, its incredibly easy. Learn how I do it here.
All in all, this blueberry lemon cobbler was an absolute success, and quickly claimed a top spot as one of my favorite deserts. And the best part is, it’s super easy to make.
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Blueberry Lemon Cobbler with Basil Infused Whipped Cream
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
This is my favorite cobbler recipe. The perfect balance of tangy and sweet. Preserved lemons balance with the blueberries to make sure you get a good dose of lemon flavor along with blueberry.
Ingredients
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Sugar + 1.5 Tbsp
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter
- 3 Cups Blueberries
- Juice of 2 Lemons
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 2 Tsp Preserved Lemon, minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F
- Slice butter, add to cast iron skillet (or baking dish), and bake in preheated oven for about 5 minutes
- Combine flour, 1 Cup sugar, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl
- Add milk, 1 Tsp preserved lemon, half the lemon zest, and mix until smooth
- In a separate bowl, add 2.5 cups blueberries, lemon juice, remaining sugar, preserved lemon, and lemon zest. Toss to coat
- Pour batter into the preheated skillet with melted butter
- Pour berries mixture over the batter
- Place skillet in the oven and cook for 15 minutes
- Top with the remaining berries, and cook for and additional 10-15 minutes until crust is golden brown
- Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Serve with Basil Whipped Cream
Notes
- Adding the milk before the preserved lemons will help prevent them clumping in dry flour.
- You may want to line the bottom rack of your oven with foil to catch any drippings.
- Prep Time: 00:10
- Cook Time: 00:25
- Category: dessert
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: american
I absolutely loved this recipe, and it got the seal of approval from my whole family. I will certainly play around with adding the preserved lemons to more sweets in the future. Let me know how yours turns out!
Check out the other recipes we made with the fresh blueberries we picked from blase family farm: Blueberry jalapeño jam, blueberry whiskey smash
