Culinary traditions are integral in tying families and friends together. Joyful celebrations of holidays, weddings and births or somber gatherings, such as funerals, have food at their core. Writer Crystal Wilkinson, Kentucky’s poet laureate from 2021-2023, examines this theme in her new book Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks, which was released in January. Wilkinson shares a selection of recipes from her family collection that you can prepare for your loved ones in our January issue.
Uncle Sherman and Aunt Lo, who can both come close to re-creating this dessert—my grandmother’s prized blackberry cobbler—say the secret to perfection is in the crust. The sugar sprinkled on top gives this one a lovely look. An 8-cup casserole or 8-inch Pyrex baking dish works well here. This deep-dish, wrap-around rolled crust method is something like an old-fashioned pandowdy that was popular in the 1800s, where you dowsed the crust into the fruit mixture and baked it in a skillet. I was an adult before I perfected this cobbler; getting the correct ratio of fruit, juice and crust in each bite is important. This cobbler screams July in Kentucky to me, even if it’s the dead of winter and you are anywhere in the world.
For the fruit:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
4 tablespoons (½ stick) salted butter
16-18 ounces fresh blackberries (3 generous cups), preferably wild if you can find them
For the crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup cold vegetable shortening
½ cup ice water, or as needed
1 tablespoon sugar, for sprinkling
For the fruit:
Combine sugar, 1 cup water, butter and blackberries in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook 6-8 minutes, stirring only after berries begin to soften, butter has melted, and liquid in the pan turns deep purple. Do not overcook. Remove from heat and let cool while you make the crust.
For the crust:
1. Combine flour and salt in a chilled glass, ceramic or metal mixing bowl. Use a pastry cutter or two forks to work in the shortening, blending until mixture is the consistency of coarse meal. Again, do not overwork it.
2. Add half the ice water, stirring to form a dough that begins to gather, then continue to add a little more ice water at a time—just enough for dough to hold together. You may not use all the water.
3. Lightly flour a rolling pin and the work surface. Turn out the dough and roll it out evenly to a size much larger than the cobbler/casserole pan. Lay the dough in the pan with a generous amount of overhang on all sides (1-2 inches or so). Use the tines of a fork to dock bottom of dough in several places.
4. When ready to assemble cobbler, place a rack in the middle position of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
5. Spoon the cooled, softened fruit and some of its liquid into the dough-lined pan. The berries should not be “swimming.” Discard or reserve the remaining liquid to cook down for an accompanying syrup (see note).
6. Pull overhanging dough up toward the center on all sides to cover most of fruit. Sprinkle top with sugar. Bake on the middle rack for 40-45 minutes, until crust is lightly browned and any exposed fruit is bubbling. Spoon into bowls and serve warm or at room temperature.
Note: While the cobbler is baking, you may cook down the extra berry liquid to create a syrupy sauce to serve with the cobbler or with ice cream, or use it to flavor drinks. Pour leftover cooking juices in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat until thick enough to coat a spoon, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool.
Reprinted with permission from Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks by Crystal Wilkinson copyright ©2024. Photographs by Kelly Marshall copyright ©2024. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House.