Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler with Honey Whipped Cream

We, like many of you, have been spending time this week reflecting, learning and educating ourselves about the systemic racism and inequality that continues to exist in our society and how we can actively dismantle it whenever and wherever we see it. 

When it came time to think of a recipe to post for this week, it got me thinking about influential African American women in the culinary world. I began researching different cookbook authors and chefs and came across the story of Mrs. Abby Fisher.

About Mrs. Abby Fisher

Mrs. Abby Fisher was one of the first ever African-American cookbook authors. Born into slavery in 1831, Mrs. Fisher grew up in the plantation kitchens in South Carolina where she honed her culinary skills and became a phenomenal cook. 

Many of the cooks making what we now refer to as "Southern Food", like cobblers, in the American South during this time were African American women. 

In 1877 after the Civil War, Mrs. Fisher, her husband and her 11 children moved to San Francisco where her talents as a cook and caterer were soon in high demand among the city’s upper class.

Her impressive reputation and award winning cooking enabled the Fishers to open their own business listed in the San Francisco directories as “Mrs. Abby Fisher & Company” and later as “Mrs. Abby Fisher, Pickle Manufacturer.”

In 1881, her cookbook "What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Southern Cooking" was published. However, it wasn't until 1984, over a century later that a volume of the cookbook was rediscovered. The cookbook republished in 1985 making her recipes available to a new generation of chefs and cooks.

Abby Fisher is revered for how she expertly blended African and American cultures by combining the ingredients and spices from two continents in her cooking.

Her unique dishes with their distinctive flavour represented some of the best Southern cooking of the day and yet for over a century, her wisdom and talents were lost in history, like the stories of so many other people of colour.

This cobbler recipe incorporates the unique biscuit and oat crumble cobbler topping that was a signature of Mrs. Abby Fisher's Southern peach cobbler recipe. However, the filling of this cobbler highlights local, seasonal ingredients, celebrating strawberry and rhubarb season in Ontario!

Ontario Strawberry & Rhubarb Cobbler With Honey Whipped Cream

Ingredients

For the Biscuit Topping

• 2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour (K2 Milling "Viking")
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 12 tbsp (170g) cold unsalted butter, cubed. Plus 1 tbsp melted butter for brushing biscuit tops! (Golden Dawn Butter)
• ³⁄₄ cup buttermilk, cold (Harmony Organics)

For the Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

• 4 cups fresh Ontario strawberries halved or quartered
• 2 ½ cups Ontario rhubarb, diced
• ¼ cup Ontario honey (Rosewood Estates)
• 2 tbsp melted unsalted butter (Golden Dawn Butter)
• ½ cup brown sugar 
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• zest of 1 lemon (optional but compliments the flavours of the strawberry and rhubarb beautifully!
• ¼ tsp salt

For the Oat Crumble Topping

• ½ cup (120g) all-purpose flour (K2 Milling "Viking")
• ½ cup  oats (K2 Milling "Granola" Oats)
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tbsp (56g) unsalted butter at room temp (Golden Dawn Butter)

Honey Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 tbsp Ontario honey (Rosewood Estates)

Method

For the Biscuit Topping

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Rub a 10-12 inch cast iron skillet with a little softened butter. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, you can also use a 10-12 inch pie plate!

To make your biscuits, combine the flour, baking powder, and cold butter in a large bowl. 

Using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers, cut at the butter until the mixture clumps together to form large pea-sized balls. 

Pour in the buttermilk and stir with a fork until the dough looks shaggy. 

Turn the dough out onto a clean, dry surface (or wax paper lined surface) and shape it into a thick square (approximately 1-inch thick).

Cut the dough into 4 equal sized pieces.

Stack the pieces on top of each other. 

Press down to flatten. This trick I found on Bon Appetit creates a flaky biscuit with tons of beautiful buttery layers!

Roll out the dough again into a ½ inch thick rectangle.

Cut the dough into 12-15 smaller biscuits. You can use a cookie cutter you have on hand or cut the dough into small squares.

Transfer your biscuits to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pop in the freezer for 15 minutes. This chills the butter again and helps give you that flaky biscuit.

For the Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

In the meantime, it's time to make the filling! 

In the skillet, combine the sliced strawberries, diced rhubarb, lemon zest, vanilla brown sugar and salt and mix well to combine.

Set aside and prepare your oat crumble topping.

Oat Crumble Topping

Next, combine the flour and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add the butter and mix it into the dry ingredients. 

with your hands until the mix is moist and crumbly. 

 Assemble the Cobbler

 Now it's time to assemble the cobbler!

Remove your biscuits from the freezer and spread them out over your filling in the cast iron skillet or pie dish. Brush the biscuit tops with melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar or coarse sugar.

Sprinkle the oat crumble evenly over the filling to fill in the gaps between the biscuits. 

Bake for 50 minutes, until the biscuit and crumble topping are golden. 

Honey Whipped Cream

While the cobbler is baking, make your honey whipped cream. 

I don't know why I never thought of using honey to sweeten my whipped cream before but now that I've tried it, there's no going back! 

If you have a stand mixture, place the bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes. A cold bowl really helps make the whip cream come together quickly! 

Add the cream to your stand mixture and attach the wire whisk attachment (you can also use a hand mixer or a wire whisk!). Whip the cream until medium peaks form. 

Stop the mixture and add your honey. Turn it back on and whip until stiff peaks form. Chill the whipped cream in the fridge until your cobbler is finished baking. 

Remove the cobbler from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temp with a big dollop of honey whipped cream!

Did you try this recipe? We want to see your finished product! Tag us on Instagram @100kmfoods and @themarketat100kmfoods!