For a while in high school, I feel like this Tomato Cobbler from Joy the Baker was in my family’s rotation for dinners. It’s one of my favorite Joy the Baker recipes, but I sort of forgot about it for a while. However, this summer, I’ve been growing tomatoes in my backyard. When I had a pound of cherry tomatoes and more on the way, this recipe obviously came back into my mind.
My tomato plants have involved a bit of a learning curve. I didn’t put enough dirt in their pots, so they grew rapidly at first, but then slowed down and all their leaves started withering. But the tomatoes were developing as expected. Apparently the plant was diverting what energy it could get through the cramped roots to the fruit instead of leaves. I added some more dirt, and they immediately bounced back. The leaves are still tragic, but the tomatoes have started growing even more rapidly.
The cherry tomatoes are way more prolific than the beefsteak ones. That part, I’m not sure why. Maybe just because the cherry tomatoes are smaller and it’s easier to produce more of them. Regardless, I’m glad the cherry tomato plant is a success! But I need to keep up with using them all now. I made this cobbler and then like three days later, the plant was full of red tomatoes ready to be picked. AND I harvested some beefsteak ones. It’s Tomato Time!!!
I have plans for the beefsteak tomatoes, but need some more cherry tomato ideas. I could make this cobbler again, I suppose. But I feel like I need to branch out! Also, my only complaint with this is that it’s hard to know what to serve with it. It’s good with eggs! And I remember eating it as a side to chicken, back in high school, but I’m not really someone who prepares chicken breast just for myself. Maybe I should become that person.
I don’t think this needs any modifications from Joy’s version, but since I am not a huge blue cheese person and I had some extra Manchego in the fridge, I subbed Manchego.
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PinDescription
This recipe can easily be halved and made in a loaf pan
Ingredients
For the Biscuits:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cold and cut into cubes (or substitute unsalted butter here)
- 1/2 cup shredded Manchego
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup cold buttermilk
For the Filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 large yellow onions, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 pounds cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped basil (additionally or alertnatively: a generous dose of thyme and oregano)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt and coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
To make the biscuits:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add cold butter and shortening. With your fingers, quickly break up the fat into the dry ingredients. Rub the fats into the dry ingredients until well incorporated. Some butter pieces will be the size of small peas, other will be the size of oat flakes. Toss in Manchego. Stir to incorporate.
- Create a small well in the center of the flour mixture. Add buttermilk all at once. With a fork, quickly bring together the wet and dry ingredients. The dough will be rather shaggy. Dump dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead dough about 10 times, bringing it together into a disk. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until the filling is assembled.
To make the tomato filling:
- Add olive oil and butter to a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add sliced onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook and brown onions, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 18 to 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute more. Remove pan from heat, add balsamic vinegar and set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss together clean cherry tomatoes (no need to cut them), chopped basil (or whatever herbs you’re using), flour, and red pepper flakes. Add caramelized onions and toss together until everything is lightly and evenly coated in flour. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Pour the tomato and onion filling into a square 8×8-inch baking dish. Place in the oven and bake tomatoes filling for 15 to 18 minutes.
- Remove the biscuit dough from the fridge. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out biscuit dough into a 3/4 or 1-inch thickness. Use a 1 1/2 to 2-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out biscuits. Dip the cutter in flour should it get sticky.
- Remove the partially cooked filling from the oven and carefully place 6 biscuits atop the tomato filling in the pan. Brush biscuit tops with buttermilk and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reshape and reroll excess biscuit dough to make extra biscuits at another time. (The shaped biscuit dough freezes very well.)
- Return warm filling and biscuit dough to oven and bake for 17-22 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and cooked through, and the tomato mixture is bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes before serving. Tomato Cobbler is best served warm.
Notes
From Joy the Baker