I really do make other foods besides baked goods (honestly, I do), but Diane’s ingredient of the week for the W.H.O.L.E. Gang’s Friday Foodie Fix is strawberry. So, I had to come up with a strawberry recipe. The following admission may shock you, but I don’t eat strawberries. They are still on my list of foods that I want to learn to eat. I know, I know … I’m an anomaly. It’s that whole texture thing. Seriously. But, I will drink them. Throw some strawberries in a blender with a little rum, etc., and I’m there! That annoying texture issue disappears and I can somehow overlook the seeds. LOL
Earlier this week, I was preparing a meal for my husband’s aunt and uncle, so I decided to make strawberry cobbler as their dessert. Strawberry cobbler would be a nice ending to a dinner of garlic lime chicken and mashed potatoes, don’t you think? I did not get to taste this dessert, so I solicted their feedback. The reviews were very good—lovely cake base, good flavor, right amount of sweetness, and nice topping.
The only recommendation was to add more fruit. I had used less than the amount in the recipe that’s shown here, because I had used some leftover strawberries from a family event and there were not quite enough. (And, there was no way I was going to the grocery store that day.) I had added some peaches, but still the recipe was a bit short of fruit so that was a reasonable assessment. Of course, when you make this recipe, you’ll start with the right amount of fruit, right?
Strawberry (Fruit) Cobbler
Adapted from a reader-submitted adaptation (in review comments) of a recipe posted on cooks.com
Ingredients
- 1 cup glun-free flour mix*
- ½ tsp xanthan gum (omit if using a flour mix that already contains xanthan gum)
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 4 tbsp butter (or dairy-free equivalent)
- 1 egg (I used a jumbo brown egg from a happy chicken)
- 1 cup of milk (or dairy-free equivalent, or a combination of milk and fruit juice—about half of my “milk” was actually peach juice)
- 3 cups strawberries (hulled and sliced, other fruit or fruit combinations can be used; I added peaches and blackberries**)
Streusel Topping
- 1 cup gluten-free oats
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon (I used a strong Vietnamese one)
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients together. Cut in the butter. (I decided to soften my butter a tad in the microwave and---surprise! (well, not really)---ended up with melted butter. However, when mixed into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon, I still got the perfect consistency. So, I’ll use melted butter the next time; it’s much easier than cutting in the butter. But, if you’re a traditionalist, you can use cold or room temperature butter.)
- Add the egg and milk, stirring until it's all blended.
- Pour into a greased 8x8 buttered pan or 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Top with fruit.
- Combine the streusel topping ingredients and then put over the fruit.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.
Notes
*I used Jules gluten-free flour mix. However, another very economical option is the gluten-free flour mix that I use most of the time. It consists of three parts Asian white rice flour (much more finely ground that typical white rice flour) and two parts cornstarch. I make 5 lbs of this mix at a time. I use three 1-lb bags of Asian white rice flour and two 1-lb boxes of Argo cornstarch. Mix well, but gently in a very large bowl and then transfer to airtight storage containers (like Tupperware).**The orginator recommended using four very large deep purple plums, cut into about six slices each.
As far as the poem part, Anali posted the other day about April being National Poetry Month. She also mentioned that April 30 is Poem in Your Pocket Day. Okay, I realize today is May 1, but I’m sharing my own poem today (yeah, yeah, yeah … “day later, dollar short”). Mine is more along the lighthearted poetic lines of Dr. Seuss or Shel Silverstein. Well, I wish anyway—my apologies to both those immortal geniuses. (Disclosure: I used to be an elementary school teacher and I am still crazy over children’s books.)
It’s gfe for me
I’m gfe and as happy as can be!
Being gfe means really being free …
Free of having tons of packaged products on hand.
(On that issue, I take my stand!)
No cornmeal or brownie mixes in my pantry
No boxes and boxes of cereal—gluten free
No loaves of gf bread in my freezer
(Life without bread really is easier!)
No stash of protein bars that might taste “okay”
No inventory of pretzels, cookies, ____ (you fill in the blank), to maintain each day.
When I fall to sleep each night …
There’s a memory foam pillow under my head
But, no case of gluten-free pancake mix under my bed.
And, somehow that just feels right.
(gfe, and feng shui, you know …)
Oh, my, you ask … how can you live that way?
It’s simple I say …
I eat mostly real food every day.
Eggs, apples, avocados, artichokes, nuts, fish, shrimp, crab, pork, chicken, romaine, spinach, cabbage, potatoes … the list goes on
My “pantry” is full of ingredients to make easy appetizers, salads, entrees, side dishes, cookies, and cakes
A little prep, a little mixing, and maybe some cooking/baking is all it takes
Then you can skip those processed fakes.
How do you have the time you say?
Not much time is really needed each day
But, I’d rather cook a gfe meal or bake a crustless gfe pie,
Than on the sofa lie—
Watching bad TV,
Propped up with my laptop,
Or 24/7 on the cell.
(I truly love my friends and readers
Who are online
But, I also find my “disconnected” time quite fine!)
Hey, eat the good gluten free food—the real kind—and become gfe-ers!
This post is linked to Friday Foodie Fix–Strawberries and Friday Foodie Fix–Peaches.
Diane-thewholegang says
OK, next time you’re in town I’m making you some Strawberry Margaritas. I only started eating strawberries a few years ago. They have hair and that kept me at bay. I couldn’t figure out how to shave them and have anything left to eat. But they are low in sugar and when they are ripe they taste amazing. Dip them in some real whip cream or chocolate and you’ll wonder why you waited so long to join in. Let me know when you’ve taken the plunge.
Shirley says
Diane–You crack me up and give me hope!!! How is it we’ve been in parallel universes as far as our food phobias and never met? How many more of us are out there? 😉 Yes, I’ll let you know when I take the plunge and I’ll gladly test those beautiful margaritas of yours (notice the plural there!). 🙂
Shirley
noble pig says
You are the first person I know who doesn’t eat strawberries. Well I think you did a great job here!
Shirley says
Thanks, Cathy! It was very pretty. I’m sure I’ll make it again … at least for others. LOL
Shirley
WendyGK says
Dessert and a poem. What a treat.
Shirley says
Hi, WendyGK–Ah, thanks. At least you didn’t have to hear a reading. 😉 Phoebe in Friends comes to mind. Of course, her rhymes were put to song … well, if you could call it that. LOL Okay, I saw your submission for the FFF was strawberry trifle. My MIL loves anything trifle, so I must go check that out!
Thanks for stopping by gfe!
Shirley
Ali (Whole Life Nutrition) says
Shirley, what a lovely poem. I enjoyed learning a little bit more about you! That sounds like my pantry, fridge, freezer too! Real food is sure a great way to go.
Your berry cobbler looks great – love all of the different layers of flavor, I’ll bet it was very tasty!
We have a 3-tiered strawberry garden bed that Tom built last spring. There is nothing like juicy, ripe, sweet berries right from the garden – they taste nothing like the store bought kind from California. Maybe a taste of homegrown berries will get you on the strawberry bandwagon, or maybe not? -Ali 🙂
Shirley says
Ali–You’re so kind. I had a bit of fun with the poem. No literary masterpiece for sure … actually dorky, but it does convey the gfe message. 😉
I made a similar baked fruit dish last year with blackberries, peaches, and the oatmeal topping. It’s hard to go wrong with the layers.
Wow, that strawberry garden bed sounds awesome. I know I’d love just seeing it. I’m willing to try getting on the locally grown, fresh, and sweet strawberry bandwagon. 🙂 I really have learned to eat a lot more foods over the years, so I’m hopeful the list will keep expanding.
Thanks,
Shirley
Nance says
I just like that this post is also tagged “breakfast”! LOL. It reminds me of the saying, “Life is so uncertain; eat dessert FIRST!”
Shirley says
Nance–Ha ha, I was wondering if anyone would notice that! This cobbler sure seems like a better choice than strawberries over cereal to me. I still like the palate-cleansing sorbets at breakfast myself. One B&B we like to visit when we can always serves some wonderful sorbets and I feel a little like a kid breaking the rules. 😉 Maybe we’d all be happier if we started our day that way!
Shirley
Lauren says
Yum!! That looks amazingly good, I would love that for dessert or breakfast anytime =D.
Shirley says
Hi there, Lauren! I’ll save some for you from the next one I make. 😉 Until then, I’m sure you could easily whip up your version. You always share some great recipes on your site!
Shirley
H.Peter says
You could be the next big thing in the Rap music scene. Yo!
Shirley says
H.Peter–I laughed out loud when I read your comment. The funny thing is I briefly considered taking the rap route, but the truth is I just don’t know the lingo.
However, one of our support group members did do a rap on the evils of gluten a while back. He was great. Of course, he is a musical performer, but usually in the folk genre. Here’s a YouTube video of him doing hambone. BTW, he and his family were recently on Wife Swap. A rather bizarre experience for them all the way around, but, anyway, we need to get him to put his gluten rap on YouTube. 🙂
Shirley
Gina says
I can’t believe a non-strawberry-eater made such a good-looking dessert with that fruit! I definitely agree that you should try home-grown strawberries for your next strawberry experience. If the texture still bugs you, you could try some sort of puree and strain it to get the seeds and hair out but retain the fresh flavor.
Shirley says
Hi, Gina–Thanks for commenting! I appreciate the compliments on my cobbler, as well as the advice. MIL grows strawberries, so I’ll try to enjoy some of hers. I’ll start with some small ones. 😉 LOL Seriously, I’ve learned to eat so many new foods with “weird” textures in the last few years, so there’s definitely hope! 🙂
Shirley
Alisa - Frugal Foodie says
Wow, for someone who doesn’t eat strawberries, you sure make a fantastic dessert with them!
Shirley says
Alisa–LOL, but thanks so much! I’ve always been willing to make foods for others that I don’t eat myself and I always make them gluten free. (No gluten cooking in my kitchen.) For example, I’ve made great fried oysters for hubby using cornmeal. He said they were the best he’d ever eaten. Now strawberries I want to learn to eat … oysters, not so much. But, I always learn something from each experience that I can apply elsewhere. I’m thinking the gluten-free cornmeal mix will work great for gluten-free fried calamari–something I used to enjoy and have missed!
Shirley
Linda says
I have found the many of the strawberry seeds sink to the bottom of smoothies so maybe that’s one reason you like them in drinks. I’ve had fruit cobblers, but never a strawberry one. Great idea!
Shirley says
Linda–Ah ha, that makes sense, of course! We had friends who used to make a variety of drinks and ice creams with different berries (usually blackberries we’d all help pick on a walk to the nearby river beach to look for sharks’ teeth) and their goats’ milk. Oh, my, those were some good treats. There weren’t chunks of fruit, so I was okay with it. I do remember a few seeds providing some “extra crunch” (as they said), but the sacrifice was worth it. 😉
Shirley
Anali says
Love the poem Shirley!! Very well done. I do love strawberries though, in any form. The seeds only annoy me when I floss. : )
Shirley says
Hi, Anali–Thanks so much! Like I said, it was a lighthearted approach to sharing the gfe philosophy. 🙂
I know there’s a big club of you strawberry lovers out there—I am just trying to get past the “initiation.” 😉 I have that same flossing issue with poppy seeds.
Shirley
V-Grrrl says
I like my strawberries with angel food cake and a dollop of vanilla yogurt.
Shirley says
Hey, V–That sounds like a winner combo! Vanilla yogurt sounds like such a healthy alternative, but still a very tasty one, to the usual toppings. 🙂 Have you had this treat yet this year? It’s too early for local strawberries, right?
Shirley
Jennifer says
Oh Shirley, sounds like you need to take a trip to Westmoreland Berry Farm and pick your own strawberries. They are so delicious!! We love going there as a family. They have a wonderful porch to sit on and some goats that have their own bridge over the road (sounds weird, but you have to see it to understand it).
Shirley says
Jennifer–I’ve been to the Westmoreland Berry Farm, but it’s been many, many years. Also, it was actually in the fall for a ride to the pumpkin patch, so I guess that doesn’t count. (I do LOVE pumpkins though!) Isn’t it still a little early to pick berries locally? I was thinking June was the time, but since I don’t eat strawberries, what do I know, right? LOL I know lots of folks love the Berry Farm’s fresh berry sundaes. Do you guys enjoy those as well?
Shirley
Carol, Simply...Gluten-free says
I love your poem!!! Saw the link from Kim’s site – this morning is my time for poetry I guess, what a lovely way to start the day. And SOOOOO true sister!
Shirley says
Hi Carol–Thank you, dear! Hey, morning poetry sounds good to me. 😉 I hadn’t thought about that poem in a long time, but Kim’s inspiring poem reminded me. I’m so glad you appreciated it, dear. 🙂
Shirley