Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler

Jan here with a TRUTH: There is nothing that says SUMMER like a dessert made from fresh fruit.

Ice cream is another summer favorite, but let's face it. We eat ice cream all year long. Anytime we can!

And you can make cobbler and pies and fruit crisps in the winter from fruit you stored up the summer before. That has its own enchantment - The memories of berry picking or canning the peaches. The sweet tangy fruitiness of summer sunshine caught in the peak of freshness to brighten a dark winter evening. The satisfaction of storing up the bounty for the lean times.

But there is nothing like fruit fresh from the tree, bush, or farmer's market. Juicy sweetness in the hot summer kitchen and the anticipation of that first bite... YUM!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler

ingredients:

4 cups chopped rhubarb

2 cups sliced strawberries

3/4 cup white sugar

2 Tablespoons corn starch

1 Tablespoon water

1 Tablespoon butter, cut in small pieces

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup flour

1/4 cup white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

2 Tablespoons white sugar

Preheat the oven to 400° and prepare a 9" square baking dish. Of course, mine are packed already, so I used my 9" x 12" baking dish instead.

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the fruit and water and bring to a boil, stirring often. Let it cook for one minute, then pour it into your prepared baking dish.

Dot the fruit with the 1 Tablespoon butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon.

In a small bowl, mix the milk and the egg. In a larger bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt), then cut in the 1/4 cup butter. Mix with your (clean) fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Then pour in the milk and egg mixture all at once, and stir just until the dough is moistened.

Drop the dough by spoonfuls onto the fruit mixture evenly, then sprinkle the top with the remaining 2 Tablespoons sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400° or until the top is lightly browned.

Serve with ice cream, whipped cream...or if you want to be old-fashioned and decadent, just pour a bit of sweet cream (also called whipping cream or heavy cream) over your serving.

Here's the best part: Take your dish out to the porch - front, back, whatever, just so you're outside in the lingering heat of the day. Put a spoonful in your mouth and close your eyes. Can you hear the radio playing inside the house? Grandma is calling the cat in for her supper. The neighbor's screen door bangs and the neighborhood kids are play hide and seek between the houses. "Olly, olly, oxen free!"

Yes, there is nothing that says summer like a fruit dessert. What is your favorite way to eat fresh summer fruit?

Oh...by the way...Saturday was puppy choosing day! Meet Jack:

There's nothing like a tiny puppy...but now we have to wait...and wait...and wait. He's only three weeks old.

Jan Drexler spent her childhood dreaming of living in the Wild West and is now thrilled to call the Black Hills of South Dakota her home. When she isn’t writing she spends much of her time satisfying her cross-stitch addiction or hiking and enjoying the Black Hills with her husband of more than thirty-six years.