Sour cherry cobbler

Sour cherries are such a wonderful way to enjoy the height of summer. Although it takes a lot of sugar to make them delicious, it is a taste that I can never get tired of. We've been buying sour cherries every week at the farmers market the past few weeks. Last week, we made sour cherry preserve. For anyone out there that wants a jar of the yummiest preserve on earth, simmer together some sour cherries, sugar, and a squeeze of lemon juice and your taste buds will never be able to thank you enough. A good ratio for making this preserve is 1 part cherries to 3/4 part sugar. Simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, and then spoon into your favorite jar. The week before last, we made a sour cherry pie. But this week, I made a sour cherry cobbler and I have to share the recipe with you because it was sooo good. The only problem is that leftovers don't stay very well. So you should probably plan on sharing and eating the dishful before you go to bed (not actually a problem).

A really helpful tip that I learned from my mom is that to pit the cherries, all you need is a safety pin; no need to go out and buy a cherry pitter. Using a safety pin, all you do is hold onto the end with the clasp, and stick the other end with the tiny circle hinge into the top of the cherry where the stem comes out, and dig out the pit. Easy as that :) However, expect to sit there with your bowl of ready-to-pit cherries for a good hour. But trust me, it is well worth the labor.

I found this recipe online from www.theveggietable.com. It goes as follows:
1. Combine the following in a pot over medium heat:

• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1/2 cup sugar

2. Stir well until the cornstarch and sugar are dissolved, then add:

• 4 cups sour cherries, pitted

3. Mix well until all the cherries are evenly coated, then spoon the cherries into a casserole dish.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
5. In a large bowl, combine:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar

6. In a separate small bowl, whisk together:

• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup buttermilk or cream

7. Add the butter/buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix minimally, but until you have a uniform, really sticky dough. Dollop large spoonfuls of the dough on top of the sour cherries in the casserole dish.
(Because the dough is so sticky, the easiest way to do this is to get a spoonful and use the other spoon to scrape it out.) You'll end up with a lumpy biscuit that does not quite cover the fruit.
8. Place the dish on a baking dish and bake it in the oven for 20-25 minutes. (The baking dish will catch the bubbling cherry juices that will inevitably trickle down the outside of the dish). Serve it warm or at room temperature, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or sweetened creme fraiche.