1913 - Dishes and Beverages of the Old South

Cobblers

DDV CULINARY

Make from any sort of fruit in season--peaches, apples, cherries, plums or berries.
Green gooseberries are inadvisable, through being too tart and too tedious.
Stone cherries, pare peaches or apples and slice thin, halve plums if big enough,
and remove stones--if not, wash, drain well, and use whole.
Line a skillet or deep pie pan--it must be three inches deep at least,
liberally with short crust, rolled rather more than a quarter-inch thick.
Fit well, then prick all over with a blunt fork.
Fill with the prepared fruit,
put on an upper crust a quarter-inch thick and plenty big enough,
barely press the crust edges together,
prick well with a fork all over the top,
and cook in a hot oven half to three-quarters of an hour, according to size.
Take up, remove top crust, lay it inverted upon another plate,
sweeten the hot fruit liberally, adding if you like, a spoonful of brandy,
adding also a good lump of the best butter.
Mix well through the fruit,
then dip out enough of it to make a thick layer over the top crust.
Grate nutmeg over apple pies, or strew on a little powdered cinnamon.
A few blades of mace baked with the fruit accent the apple flavor beautifully.
Cherries take kindly to brandy, but require less butter than either peaches or apples.
Give plums plenty of sugar with something over for the stones.
Cook a few stones with them for flavor, even if you take away the bulk.

Do the same with cherries, using, say, a dozen pits to the pie.

Serve cobbler hot or cold.
If hot, serve with it hard brandy sauce,
made by creaming together a cup of sugar,
a tablespoonful of butter,
then working in two tablespoonfuls of brandy or good whiskey.
Right here is perhaps the place to say once for all,
good whiskey is far and away better in anything than poor brandy.
Thick sweet cream whipped or plain,
sets off cold cobbler wonderfully to the average palate.