Independence Day Cobbler with Buttermilk Ice Cream

The 4th of July is coming up, and look, y’all– Luscious doesn’t care about the statistics. We say the US is still #1! Not only did we create the Trans Am (*scroll to bottom) and the movie “Urban Cowboy”, we invented cobbler, dammit, and you can’t take that away. Almost 250 years after the birth of our nation, Americans are still proud to take fresh, wholesome fruit, and cook it with sugar until all the nutritional value is gone. The day that stops, well, that’s the day the we know that the terrorists have won.

So take that, other countries with your more impressive high school graduation rates, like Switzerland and New Zealand, and um, South Korea and Hungary, and also Slovenia, and several other nations that are kind of hard for Americans to find on a map. Your commitment to education doesn’t intimidate us, because on Independence Day, the citizens of the US color-coordinate our cobbler and ice cream with our flag. U-S-A! U-S-A!

Cherry Blueberry Cobbler with Buttermilk Ice Cream
We love creamy buttermilk for many reasons, here it balances perfectly with fruit and pastry. This ice cream has a sweet, tangy, and complex flavor that’s perfect on top of a bowl full of warm juicy cobbler.

For the Ice Cream:
Make the ice cream first, it needs to sit in the freezer for a good while. Have your ice cream maker ready to go, and read those manufacturer’s instructions.
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup brown sugar and ½ cup white sugar,
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup light corn syrup
2 cups buttermilk

Whisk together a little of the milk with the cornstarch until the lumps are gone, then pour the cornstarch mixture, the rest of the milk, the cream, sugar, salt, and cornstarch into a sauce pan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is uniform. Remove from heat, and pour into a large chilled glass or metal mixing bowl. Whisk in the buttermilk, and place in fridge for an hour or until the mixture is cool. Pour into the bowl of the ice cream maker and run until the mixture is noticeably thickened. Place into a freezer-safe container with a lid, and freeze for 3-4 hours, or overnight.

For the Cobbler:
First, make the dough!
2 ½ cups flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 stick butter, cold and cut into pieces
½ cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup ice water

Whisk together the dry ingredients. Then add the butter pieces, and work into the flour with a pastry cutter and/or your fingers until it starts to look crumbly. Then cut in clumps of shortening with a few quick swipes. The goal is to have a mixture that looks like breadcrumbs. When you’re at that point, drizzle most of the ice water over the dough and gently stir with a rubber spatula. The dough should start to come together at this point; if not, drizzle with the remaining water.

Divide the dough into two sections, roll into balls and flatten into thick disks. Wrap and plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour. You can make the dough up to this point a day ahead.

Now, turn your attention to your fruity filling. Have ready a 9×13 Pyrex dish, or similar baking dish, and pre heat oven to 375º.
2 1/2 lbs fresh cherries, washed and pitted. (Try to blackmail a family member into pitting the cherries for you. Do they want cobbler or not?)
1 lb fresh blueberries
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Mix all the filling ingredients in big bowl, preferably glass, and let sit for 15 minutes.

Take the dough from the fridge, and roll out on a floured surface until about ¼” thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut into shapes, we used stars to be holiday-themed. Gather and re-roll scraps as needed, but try not to overwork the dough.
Pour the fruit into the Pyrex dish and arrange dough shapes on top.