Warm Cranberry Cobbler

Chef Michael Ballon

Castle Street Café, www.castlestreetcafe.com, Great Barrington, MA

Ingredients:

• Ingredients for Caramelized Walnuts:
• 4 oz sugar
• 3 oz coarsely chopped walnuts
• 
  Ingredients for Cranberry Filling:
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 10 oz bag whole cranberries
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• Dash nutmeg
• Dash cinnamon
• 
  Ingredients for the Cobbler Dough:
• 1 cup flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp melted butter

Method:

Place the sugar in a skillet (or sauce pot) over a moderate flame. Heat until the sugar softens and begins to caramelize, using a wooden spoon to stir. When the sugar is golden brown, add the nuts into the pan. Mix thoroughly.
Remove the caramelized nuts, and place on a lightly greased pan. Allow to cool, and chop coarsely. Reserve for later.

Bring the water and sugar to a boil. Add the cranberries, grated zest and spices.
Simmer the berries for about 7 minutes. Transfer half the berries to a food processor and coarsely chop. Combine these pureed berries with the cooked whole berries. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and egg, and mix until it has a consistency of corn meal.
To assemble the cobblers, fill a small ramekin or soufflédish with the cranberry filing and place one Tbsp of the chopped walnuts inside each ramekin.
Sprinkle the cobbler dough over the top of the berries and drizzle melted butter on top.
Sprinkle with a little more sugar.
Bake 350 for 20 minutes. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.