Video:Fig Cobbler Recipe

Transcript:Fig Cobbler Recipe

Hi, I'm Elizabeth LaBau with About.com. Today I'm going to show you how to make a fig cobbler using a recipe from About.com's Southern Cooking site.

To Make This Fig Cobbler, You Will Need:

• 5 cups of fresh figs, cut in half
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 cup + 3 tbsp flour, for divided use
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsp cold water

Mix the Cobbler Pastry Dough and Allow It to Chill

The pastry has to chill for about an hour, so you will want to make that first. In a bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour and the salt, and mix them together briefly. Add the shortening and cut it into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or two knives. Work it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the shredded cheddar cheese, and stir it together until the cheese is worked into the flour. Finally, add the cold water and sprinkle it evenly over the surface. Stir it together—I like to use a fork for this—just until it starts to clump. You don't want to overwork it because that will give you a tough pastry dough. It's better to have some stray crumbs and dry patches than to have tough dough. Once your dough is mixed, turn it out onto a piece of plastic wrap, and press any dry spots together. Wrap it well and give it a quick roll with the rolling pin to press out any excess air. Refrigerate the pastry for about an hour, until it is firm but not hard.

Prepare the Fig Cobbler Filling

Once your pastry has chilled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, the remaining 3 tbsp of the flour, the cinnamon, and the nutmeg, and whisk them together briefly until they're blended. Arrange the figs in an 8x8 baking pan and sprinkle the lemon juice all over the top, then sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the figs until they're covered. Dot pieces of the butter all over the tops of the figs. Lightly flour your work surface, and dust a rolling pin with flour.

Bake the Cobbler and Let It Cool Before Serving

Roll out the pastry until it's about an 8x8-inch square.Use a pastry cutter, a pizza wheel, or just a plain knife to cut the pastry into 1/2-inch strips. Lay the pastry strips over the figs in the pan in a lattice pattern, leaving a little room between each strip so the figs can show through. Tuck in the edges of the pastry along the sides of the pan. Bake the fig cobbler at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. When it's done, the pastry will be puffed and golden brown, and the fig filling will be bubbling. Allow the cobbler to cool to room temperature, then serve it with a bit of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, and a dusting of cinnamon.

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