If you have sourdough discard, you're in luck. You can make a great cherry cobbler that's just right for a family dinner. The cobbler mixes up in minutes, and bakes in about half an hour. The recipe uses a cup of your discard, and baking powder in the recipe means you don't have to worry about whether your discard has sufficient lifting power. You also can bake the cobbler immediately rather than waiting for the dough to rise. I often mix up the cobbler and let it sit on the counter, regardless, until I have dinner ready to bake at the same time (usually about an hour of sitting time). The yeast in the sourdough discard/starter will give the cobbler dough a little extra lift as well as great taste. I use a jar of pitted dark Morello cherries--the kind that come from Trader Joe's or Aldi. You certainly could use fresh, pitted cherries if you're lucky enough to have them on hand! The cobbler is best warm, with ice cream alongside. It's also good for breakfast, if you have any left over. Enjoy!
Sourdough Cherry Cobbler -- Makes a 9-inch Cobbler
1 cup of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
4 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of grated orange zest
3 tablespoons of buttermilk or plain yogurt
1 cup of sourdough discard
24-ounce jar of pitted dark, sour Morello cherries in syrup (or use about 2 cups of fresh
cherries and 1 cup of water)
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon of almond or vanilla extract, optional
Extra sugar for sprinkling
Spritz a 9-inch round deep pie dish (make sure it's deep, or use a 9-inch pan that is) with non-stick cooking spray and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/3 cup of sugar. Cut in the butter until smallish crumbs form. Stir in the orange zest, buttermilk, and discard. The mixture will be more like a thick batter than a dough. Set the batter aside. Drain the syrup from the cherries and add the cornstarch and extract (if you're using it) to the cherry juice. Microwave the mixture, stirring it every 30 seconds, for 1-3 minutes or until the juice thickens. Put the cherries in the bottom of the pie dish and pour the thickened juice mixture over them. Dollop mounds of the batter over the cherry mixture. The mounds will mostly cover the cherries. Sprinkle a little extra sugar over the top of the cobbler batter. Bake the cobbler for 25-30 minutes or until the cherry juice bubbles up a little and the cobbler is golden brown and just firm to the touch. Let the cobbler cool a little before serving it warm.
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