Rhubarb Cobbler With Biscuit Topping

Prepare the Rhubarb

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Heat the oven to 400 F.

3. Combine rhubarb in a medium saucepan with water and 3/4 cup of the sugar. Heat until juices begin to bubble around the edges.

4. In a small bowl, mix the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup sugar; stir in a small amount of hot rhubarb juice to make a paste. Stir cornstarch paste mixture back into the hot mixture in the saucepan and boil for 1 minute.

5. Pour rhubarb mixture into a greased 8-inch-round baking dish. Dot with 1 1/2 teaspoons butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon.

Prepare the Biscuit Topping

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. In a medium bowl, combine biscuit mix and 1 tablespoon sugar. Add 3 tablespoons melted butter and 1/2 cup of milk; mix with a fork just until moistened.

3. Drop by spoonfuls over the hot fruit mixture. Sprinkle with optional coarse sugar, if desired, for a little extra sparkle.

4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

5. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

6. Enjoy.

The Anatomy of a Cobbler

As with most dishes, a cobbler is in the mind of the beholder. At its most basic, it is a warm or room-temperature deep-dish dessert consisting of sweetened seasonal fruit with some type of topping—usually a dropped sweet biscuit dough, streusel, or pie dough—that is baked until golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.

This most American of desserts gets its name from the fact in the early days, especially by chuckwagon cooks out West, they were “cobbled” together from whatever was on hand that might make a sweet and tasty meal finale.

Rhubarb: Fruit or Vegetable?

Looking very much like a reddish stalk of celery, but used as a fruit in cooking, rhubarb, technically, is a vegetable. In fact, the stalk is the only edible part of the plant; the leaves are considered toxic.