I had this on my mind for a couple of days before I phoned my mother to get her recipe. I added a couple of ingredients: Freshly squeezed orange juice to cut back on granulated sugar, juice from half a lemon, and bourbon vanilla extract– not the almond extract that she prefers to use in her cherry desserts. I grew up on her cobbler from the time I could remember, but we mainly had the dessert during the winter because she would bake with the cherries she canned from summer. Since we had only one cherry tree in our orchard, my siblings and I would travel somewhat far to go cherry picking with our parents every single summer, spending hours, gathering bushels of cherries. We’d each claim our own tree, have ladders and our own buckets for bushels. It was a race to see who could get theirs filled first, in the beginning, but then it just got to be a tiresome day.
These are not the Montmorency cherries, the kind we picked. Montmorency canned cherries are lighter-red and more tart compared to these luscious deep sweet reds. These are also larger. My mother’s cobbler was much better from those cherries for biscuit cobbler than my own cobbler I baked this evening even though this one is good, too, and ideal for vanilla ice cream. No matter how good this one is, I still miss hers and like hers better. I wish I could have the same kind of cherry tree to bake and can from but I’ll have to purchase a Montmorency tree from Stark Bro’s Nursery next planting season for cherries in a couple of years that are more suitable for cobbler and cherry pie like hers– “the kind that Mom made”. I’ll probably use almond extract.
For an oblong baking dish for cobbler or an extra-large round one, wash and pit 2 pounds cherries.
Don’t always measure– not always mandatory, so sweeten it for your own taste along with the juice of 1 orange as previously mentioned, and a little bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Reach a boil, turn down to a simmer and allow it to thicken into its own sauce, keeping it covered until the cherries are tender. When tender, uncover in order for it to cook down; there is no need to add water. Flavor with almond extract, vanilla, or your choice of extract flavoring other than these. When desired consistency has been acquired, keep warm on the lowest setting of heat.
For the drop biscuits, the sweet dough: Whisk to combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 3 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cut in 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter. Lightly beat 2 eggs; add 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Using a fork, a little at a time, add combined eggs and milk and more evaporated milk if needed to moisten. Butter the dish before filling with cooked cherries and dropped dough. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
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