Stone Fruit and Blackberry Cobbler with Cornmeal Drop Biscuits

*Awkwardly clears throat...*

Oh goodness.  Where should we even begin?  Do we need to re-introduce ourselves?

I'm Emilie.  And I'm a blog neglecter, deserter, sideliner, shunner....It's horrible.  But true.

The first step is admittance right?

As some of you will know, I've been away from this sweet little blog for almost seven months now. Good lord.  As I counted the months (on my fingers) just then, I realized I've surpassed the 6 month mark.  And that's just no good.  But today is my birthday and I decided that finally publishing a post would be the best present I could give myself!

So let's catch up a little bit shall we?

Last you heard, I had made the (tearful) move out of Boston and was on my way to Nashville via a little trip to Missouri.  Fast forward half a year and I have fully settled into Nashville and I'm soaking up every wonderful moment of it.

I must admit, this move to Nashville has turned out to be more than I could've ever hoped for.  Upon arriving I was immediately surrounded by a community of amazing people.  I don't just mean cheerful hospitable southerners.  I mean a mind blowing community of artists, musicians, foodies...you name it Nashville has it.  And I know, I know.  Those people are everywhere.  But there is something about Nashville and its attitude to come together, collaborate, and create amazing things that has me reveling.

In the five short months of being here, quite a few wonderful things have happened with thanks to the aforementioned community.  1) I've landed a job at two fantastic restaurants. 2) We've created a house venue at our home called The Mad Valley Lodge (We're going to have to talk more about this later.  It's my shining star at the moment.  I'm so so proud of it's creation.)  3) I've built a garden, which I've been daydreaming about for nearly 3 years.  After that amount of time cooped up in a 450 square foot apartment my hands were dying to play in some dirt. 4) I've finally started to make some (preliminary) food truck plans.  (I'm sure we will also talk about this later.)  And most importantly 5) I've finally settled in and gotten my schedule under enough control that I can slowly immerse myself back into this whole blogging thing.

It's a huge relief.  This blog has been sitting at the back of my mind constantly poking and begging me to get back to it.

So here I am.  Here you are.  It's time to talk about food.

This past Sunday, after a bloody mary (or two) I decided I needed to bake.  After a few suggestions/requests shouted from the backseat, the first being cornbread and the second being cobbler, I decided a combination of the two would fit the bill.

And what a good decision I made.  After a failed attempt to find rhubarb, I set out for some peaches.  As I was grabbing a peach, my hands started darting around on their own and I ended up throwing a of couple apricots and plums into the bag.  And at that point I thought "Why stop now?"  So...I picked up some blackberries.  And thus the Stone Fruit and Blackberry Cobbler was created.

The combination of a sweet fruit cobbler under some big cornbread "biscuits" is just what you need.  It's basically a cure all.  Or a you're the new favorite at the BBQ type thing.

It's still a little early for mouth watering fruit...but if it was this good this early in the year?  I can only imagine the deliciousness that will come from this cobbler in the coming months.

I think I'll just make one every few weeks in order to test my hypothesis.

Oh, and remember when I was talking about collaboration?  Well, all of these beautiful pictures you see below are the work of a sweet friend.  She made this post possible and made me excited to finally do it.  So thank you Molly!  I hope you're content with food as payment.

























Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Makes: 10-12 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
for the fruit-
4 cups stone fruit (I used peaches, plums, and apricots) pitted and cut into slices
2 cups (1 pint) blackberries, rinsed and dried
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons minute tapioca
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, sliced thin

for the biscuit topping-
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup fine cornmeal
6 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.  Toss the stone fruit with the blackberries, sugar, flour, lemon juice, tapioca, cinnamon and salt.  Pour into the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish. Spread 2 tablespoons of thinly sliced butter over the top of the fruit.
2. Make the biscuit couch by stirring together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Cut 6 tablespoons of the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingers or a pastry blender.  Stir in buttermilk with a rubber spatula until a wet tacky dough comes together.
3. Drop spoonfuls of the biscuit dough over the filling until evenly covered.
4. Bake at 425° for 20-25 minutes or until the cobbler is bubbly and the biscuit tops are golden brown.
5. Scoop into bowls and serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Key Lime Pie

It's been a while hasn't it?

I would say sorry.  But that would be untrue.  How could I be sorry about spending a week lounging/eating/drinking with my parents in the sunny land of Naples, Florida and then jetting up to snowy Vermont to sit by the fire and enjoy the company of friends during my last Spring Break ever?  I couldn't.  Oh and did you catch that last word?  Last Spring Break...Ever.

It's been an unbelievable last hurrah but why can't the real world have Spring Breaks?  It only seems fair.

But I probably shouldn't hold my breath on that one.



As some of you may already know...it's Pi Day!  You know...the whole 3.14/March 14th thing...right?  So naturally I had to share a pie with you.  What kind of themed food lover would I be if I didn't give you a pie recipe today?



I also have to dedicate this pie to Miss Ashley from The Uniqueness of Being.  She has begged and begged and begged for me to make her a Key Lime Pie.  She even requested it as her birthday treat.  And like a good friend...I never made it for her.  Which I completely blame on the fact that key limes aren't exactly available during winter in New England.  And that she abandoned me for Missouri.  But either way...I owe this girl a pie.

And this is the one she will get.  One of these days.  It's go weak in the knees good.  Perfectly tart.  Matched by the sweetness of the cream.  A magical crust.  Seriously.  You can't go wrong here.  And guess what.  I have even better news.  After doing some research...I have found that "Key Limes" aren't necessary!  If you can't find a bag of those adorable little limes just use regular limes and it will still be delicious!

Promise.



Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Makes: One 9-inch pie
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes (active) + 4 hours (inactive)

{Printable Recipe}

Ingredients:
for the filling-
4 teaspoons grated lime zest
4 egg yolks
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice

for the graham cracker crust-
9 graham crackers, pulverized into crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

for the whipped cream-
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. To make the filling-Whisk the lime zest and egg yolks in a medium bowl for 2 minutes until frothy.  Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk and the lime juice.  Set aside at room temperature to let it thicken while you prepare the crust.
3. To make the crust-In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar.  While stirring with a fork, slowly drizzle in melted butter.  Mix until all of the dry ingredients are moistened.  Transfer the crumbs to a 9-inch pie plate and evenly press the crumbs in the bottom of the pan and up the sides.  Bake until the crust is fragrant, about 15-18 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
4. Once the crust has cooled to room temperature, pour the filling into the crust.  Bake until the center is set, yet slightly jiggly in the middle, about 15 minutes.  Return the pie to a wire rack; cool to room temperature.  Refrigerate until well-chilled, at least 3 hours.
5. To make the whipped cream-Using an electric mixer, whip the cream on medium speed until soft peaks form.  Add powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time while continuing to whip the cream until stiff peaks form.  Decorate the pie with whipped cream and garnish with lime slices.