Cobblers, simmering jewel toned fruit and syrup topped with golden brown crusts, mean comfort to me. I grew up with master peach cobbler bakers, yet thanks to a trip to New Orleans and a food find with Roxanne, I now make a strawberry cobbler each spring. It is so easy and tastes so very good.
I do not remember tasting a strawberry cobbler until the International Association of Culinary Professionals met in New Orleans in 2007. When Roxanne and I travel, we love to explore local restaurants. One of our delightful restaurant finds that year served strawberry cobbler and I savored every bite. The flavor stuck with me and I had to make one. I do mean stuck with me—and now, every time I taste one, I am transported back to that table 5 years ago and dinner with my friend. Kind of like a ruby red magic carpet ride back to a fun, relaxing evening. I don’t remember anything else I had to eat that night—but the dessert is etched in my psyche.
Now, baking one is my spring ritual. I know strawberries are available year round, but this is one time when a basket of small, sweet, ripe strawberries from the local farmers’ market can’t be beat. I know. I have tried it with the larger, typical grocery store strawberries and while good, the flavor is just not as intense and the texture is not as perfect. So hurry–the season to make one is fleeting.
Cobblers are best served warm—and yes, a scoop of ice cream is the crowning glory. To many, serving hot strawberries is a bit different. I have one daughter who loves the warm, red dessert and one of my daughters would so much rather have them cold on strawberry shortcakes. Yet, I love this warm, homey dessert and I love that it transports me back to a dinner table a few years ago and time spent with a wonderful friend. What comfort.