Cherry Tomato Cobbler -- I Heart Cooking Clubs

Time for another Mark Bittman recipe for I Heart Cooking Clubs! Although this week's theme was Pantry Raid, and I also did some fridge raiding for this recipe.

As soon as I saw the title of this recipe, Tomato Cobbler, listed on Mark Bittman's recipe site, I knew it would be one I had to try. I love tomatoes and any recipe called cobbler has me swooning. This recipe is also in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (HTCEV) -- my newest cookbook that I bought just so I could have fun with the gang at I Heart Cooking Clubs :)

Tomato Cobbler
Mark Bittman

Oil or butter for the baking dish
3 pounds ripe tomatoes (8 to 10 medium), cored and cut into wedges -- I used cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
1 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cut into large pieces and refrigerated until very cold
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup buttermilk, plus more if needed

Grease a square baking dish or a deep pie plate with the butter or oil. Preheat the oven to 375˚F.

Put the tomato wedges in a large bowl and sprinkle with the cornstarch and some salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine.

Put the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and baking soda in a food processor along with a teaspoon of salt. Add the butter and pulse a few times until the mixture looks like coarse bread crumbs. Add the egg and buttermilk and pulse a few times more, until the mixture comes together in a ball. If the mixture doesn’t come together, add a spoonful or two of flour. If the mixture is too dry, add a few drops of buttermilk.

Gently toss the tomato mixture again and spread it in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Drop spoonfuls of the batter on top and smooth a bit with a knife. (Try to leave some gaps so that the steam from the tomato mixture will have a place to escape as the cobbler bakes.)

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until golden on top and bubbly underneath. Cool to just barely warm or room temperature. To serve, scoop servings out with a large spoon.

I made the cheesy topping variation of this recipe, which is simply one cup of shredded cheese added to the biscuit mixture in the food processor, I used Gruyere.

A very important note in this recipe is at the end, where Mark says to cool until barely warm or room temperature before serving. I tried a little taste soon after the cobbler came out of the oven, and the flavor and texture significantly improved after cooling. This could be the perfect light lunch, paired with a salad and some San Pellegrino, yum!