Strawberry basil lemon cobbler

Give fresh ingredients a sweet makeover

One of my lovely and talented coworkers brought in a strawberry basil lemon pie several weeks ago, and we ooh-ed and aah-ed over the depth of flavor and deliciousness. Those strawberries with that basil and lemon! Thank you to the genius who discovered this winning combo.

Well, I've never made a fruit pie before and wasn't up to the task of homemade crust on a lazy Sunday afternoon. But I really, really wanted that strawberry/basil/lemon yumminess in my mouth — and to share it with my family. So I used the pie recipe's filling and added my own sweet topping for a cobbler-style fruit dessert. It turned out pretty delicious, though I will say it's best eaten right out of the oven. That shouldn't be a problem though, right?

- - - - - - - 

STRAWBERRY BASIL LEMON COBBLER

WHAT YOU'LL NEED
FRUIT FILLING
2 cartons strawberries
1 small package basil 
1 tsp lemon zest
2/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt

BOTTOM CRUST (optional)
2/3 to 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 to 2 TBS sugar
1 TBS butter, melted

COBBLER TOPPING
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar

raw sugar & vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)

WHAT YOU'LL DO
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the softened butter, flour, and sugar for the cobbler topping. Pinch off small pieces of dough and use your hands to roll each into a ball. Use your fingers to press each dough ball into a flat disc. Plate the dough discs and chill them in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

*Note: I didn't do the fridge step, but would try it the next time to keep the topping looking more cobbled rather than melted together.

2. Trim the tops from the strawberries and quarter each. Set aside in a medium bowl. In a food processor, pulse the basil leaves until they're roughly chopped. Add the sugar and pulse until smooth, creating a basil sugar. Add the basil sugar, lemon zest, and salt to the strawberries. Mix well and let stand.

3. Grease a square baking pan. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter for the bottom crust. Press into the bottom of the pan (this is to soak up some of the strawberry juices — you can omit the bottom crust if you want). Layer the strawberries on top of the bottom crust. Place the chilled dough discs on top of the strawberries for a cobbled effect. Sprinkle with raw sugar if desired. 

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, baking until the cobbled topping is golden brown and the strawberries are bubbling. Check on the cobbler at 30 minutes to make sure it's not browning too quickly. Allow to cool, then serve with vanilla ice cream. 

- - - - - - - 

I'm not sure if "cobbler" is the right word for this — some might say "crisp." I read an article once that said your stance on cobbler vs. crisp depends on where you live geographically. But it doesn't really matter — you'll just end up calling this delicious. Or, as my  mom said through a mouthful of delicious, "You can make this any time!"