America: Fruit Cobbler

America has an extremely long history with many influential events changing the course of history. With this, many foods, including desserts, have become an important staple in American culture. One of these foods, being fruit cobbler, is one of the most significant desserts in America’s Thanksgiving, which commemorates the beginning of the United States. Cobbler has a mainly sweet, buttery taste which beautifully mixes with other, more savory dishes served on Thanksgiving. Many forms of cobbler exist, with some using fruit such as peaches, cherries, apples, plums, or berries. 

History

In the early 1600s, British travelers arrived in America and began settling in colonies and communities. The resources of Northern America were vastly different from the foods of Europe, so settlers improvised by using different materials to simulate their food. One of Europe’s most famous foods were suet puddings, another sweet/savory dessert. By “cobbling” certain sweet fruits together, they made a dish that we now know as cobbler. As America went through its history, cobbler has became a much more native dish to the United States.

Ingredients

To make fruit cobbler, any kind of common fruit (obviously), whether it be frozen, fresh, or canned, is needed. However, flour, sugar, butter, and a leavening agent such as baking powder are also required for the filling/cobbler toppings. While there are many different types of cobbler, the most notorious and famous is the peach variant, which can be found in the holiday of Thanksgiving. To make peach cobbler, a recipe has been created and listed below:

Recipe

Ingredients (With Precise Measurements) 

• Self-Rising Flour - 1 ½ Cups

• Butter - 1 Stick

• Water - ½ Cup

• Sugar - 2 Cups - Divided Into Two 1 Cup Amounts

• Sliced Peaches - 4 Cups

• Milk - 1 Cup

• Ground Cinnamon - Optional

• Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit. In a bowl, combine the peaches, 1 cup of the sugar, and the water into a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Then, remove from heat.

• In a separate 3-quart baking dish, put butter and melt in the oven. Next, mix the flour, milk, and the rest of the sugar slowly to prevent clumping. Once fully mixed, pour mixture over melted butter.

• Spoon the mixture of fruit on top, along with its syrup. If using, sprinkle ground cinnamon. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. To serve, first let the dish cool down, then add your choice of whipped cream or ice cream (or none). Serve, and enjoy!