Recently, a dear friend of Princess Vegan wasn't feeling very well. As we all know, "Food is Love!" Cheer up a friend with this easy make-you-feel-better-fruit-cobbler:
Time: About 20 minutes to prep, plus 40 for baking. Pop into the oven when you start dinner, or make ahead.
You'll Need:
-about 3 pounds of fresh fruit. (I used about 2 1/2 pounds of apricots and a small container of blueberries)
-1 C white sugar
-1/2 C brown sugar
-1 C flour (either white or white and wholewheat)
-1 stick vegan margarine (easily found at any grocery store, I like Nucoa)
-1 tsp salt
-1 Tb vanilla
-about 3 oz almonds (more if you like them!)
1 - Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2 - Wash and cut your fruit. Leave berries whole, and stick to larger pieces of other fruits, to avoid them getting mushy. Spread fruit evenly at the bottom of an oven safe casserole or large pie dish. Evenly sprinkle 1/2 C of the white sugar over the fruit.
3 - Toast your nuts. (Sounds kind of dirty, in fact only very fragrant!) Spread out the almonds on an ungreased baking sheet, and toast for 10 - 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Stir once in a while, checking often to make sure they don't burn. They're done when they are slightly browned and smell delicious! When they're done, turn your oven down to 375 degrees.
*Princess Vegan Tip: These almonds smell so good fresh out of the oven, you'll want to eat a few right there! Do so only if you don't mind a burnt tongue, remember, nuts are filled with heat retaining OIL!
4 - While almonds are toasting, make your topping! Combine the remaining white sugar, brown sugar, flour and salt in a large bowl, mix well. Cut margarine into small cubes and add to bowl, along with vanilla. Use a fork or your clean hands to combine until crumbly.
5 - Allow toasted nuts to cool, and coarsely chop. You can use a blender or food processor, but don't chop too finely. Really let the nuts cool, or you'll lose that nice crumbly texture in the topping. Pop them in the fridge to speed things up.
6 - Mix nuts into topping, then spread evenly over fruit. The topping might clump together, which is fine, just crumble with your hands over the dish of fruit.
7 - Put in the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes. Cobbler is done when the top is browned and your kitchen smells fantastic! Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes (again with the burnt tongue!) and enjoy!
Some killer fruit combinations:
-all peaches (A classic, sprinkle brown sugar over the fruit instead of white.)
-all berry (Tangy!)
-strawberry and rhubarb (Southern!)
-all plum (Purple!)
-a mix of different apples (Autumnal!)
-pineapple and mango (Tropical!)
-oranges and nectarines (Juicy!)
-whatever ripe fruit you have in the house (Practical!)
