Cherry Cobbler

Ah, Summer! Filled with long sunny days, loads of fresh fruit and veggies, and fun family traditions. The variety of juicy summer fruit is one of the best perks of the season, and for me, no summer is complete without enjoying a fruit cobbler at least once or twice. I love the elegant simplicity of cobbler; it’s easy to adapt to your preferences and available ingredients. In this case, sweet juicy cherries are baked with a buttery shortbread topping; a timeless combination. It’s a marriage of flavors that can outshine just about any other dessert–especially when served warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting alongside.

Like pie–only easier, and dare I say, better? It’s also one of those desserts that was developed by the greatest of inventors: Necessity. Early American settlers lacked the usual ingredients and equipment to make their traditional English “steamed puddings,” so they “cobbled” together whatever ingredients they did have (basically fruit, flour, sugar, and fat) to create the many variations (and many names) of this beloved dish. In other words, they made the most of what they had in their challenging circumstances, and came up with an enduring new tradition that would be cherished by future generations.

In honor of Pioneer Day here in Utah, I want to dedicate this recipe to two of my Utah pioneer ancestors: Esther (“Hettie”) Ann Pierce Gheen (1801-1858) and William Atkins Gheen (1798-1845). Esther and William were born into Quaker families in Chester County, PA, and were married in May of 1823. They had eight children, and built a prosperous farm together. Esther’s brother, Robert Pierce (1797-1884), had a farm nearby in Brandywine, PA, and he and his family met missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (“Mormons”) and joined the Church in 1839. In 1840, Esther and William also met with Elders from the Church and were baptized in August of that year. In 1841, William was given a Patriarchal blessing and ordained an Elder by Hyrum Smith. Then in early 1842, they sold their flourishing farm and emigrated to swampy Nauvoo, Illinois, to gather with other members of the Church.

Once in Nauvoo, William purchased a parcel of land in the central part of the city, not far from where the Temple was to be built. He labored hard to provide for his family and built a pretty brick house on their land. They also would have planted fruit trees, a garden, and other crops with hopes to see their new city grow and prosper. William was eager to witness the completion of the Temple, and contributed both financial means and physical labor to aid in its construction. Wood was scarce in Nauvoo, but it was necessary for firing the brick kilns for the construction of homes and the Temple, so the Gheen’s sent their eldest son, Thomas Pierce Gheen (1826-1864), north to Minnesota to assist in logging efforts for the Church. They never saw him again, as Thomas married a local woman and later enlisted in the Civil War, where he died in a steamship explosion on his way home after the War. 

William and Esther’s eldest daughter, Margaret, was married in 1843, and their youngest daughter, Sarah (my ancestor), was born in Nauvoo in 1844. Unfortunately, William was not able to see the Nauvoo Temple finished during his life, as he became sick and died in July of 1845. At the time of his death, the five youngest children were all very sick with whooping cough, leaving Esther grieving and struggling to keep the rest of her young family alive. Yet her faith and commitment were strong enough that she did not turn back, and though she still had family and friends at home in PA who might have been willing to help if she had, she was determined to press forward with hope. Then, early in 1846, violent mobs drove the saints out of Nauvoo, and Esther and her children fled west to Missouri, where they experienced further hardship and persecution. However, Esther was able to go to the Temple and be sealed (by proxy) in marriage to William prior to fleeing Nauvoo, which must have been a great comfort to her. They spent the next season in Winter Quarters, Nebraska, where they suffered through a harsh winter in which food and supplies were scarce.

Finally, in 1847, the first groups of Mormon pioneers began heading towards the Utah territory. Esther’s three oldest daughters went ahead with one of these groups. After arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, her daughters Ann Alice Gheen and Amanda Gheen were married to Heber C. Kimball. The trek across the plains and mountains was not only strenuous but costly as well, so Esther and her four remaining children stayed with a friend in the Missouri area, and in 1849, her fourteen-year-old son Stephen was hired to help carry a load of freight to Salt Lake City. He earned enough doing this to help cover the cost of supplies for the rest of the family to follow, and in 1850, Esther and her youngest children walked to the Salt Lake Valley.

Esther and her family settled in Ogden, Utah, and, along with other pioneers, got to work building homes, and digging irrigation canals. They planted crops, trees, and gardens: seeds of hope for the future. After so much persecution and uncertainty, they worked hard to at last create a safe haven for their families. In spite of the harsh desert climate, they had finally found a place to call home. Esther passed away in Ogden in 1858 of cancer, but she and William left their children a legacy of faith, resilience, industry, and determination that went on to bless generations. I hope to meet Esther one day and thank her for her sacrifice and strength.

It’s clear that family was an eternal priority for Esther and William, and they “cobbled together” the best life they could with what they had, enjoying many beautiful hope-filled moments along with the difficulties and grief. It was a privilege for me to learn more about them as I crafted this variation of a classic recipe in their memory.

This recipe would also work well with plums, peaches, berries, nectarines, etc, instead of the cherries, but make sure you weigh your fruit. You’ll want about a generous pound of pitted fruit. If sour cherries are used instead of dark sweet cherries, you may want to increase the sugar to 1/2 cup and reduce the lemon juice slightly. I’ve kept the topping fairly basic, but you could also add up to 1/3 cup total of chopped nuts, chopped chocolate, rolled oats, coconut, etc. Simply mix it in with the flour in advance. (The topping recipe is adapted from King Arthur Flour.)

Cherry Cobbler

Filling:

1.5 lbs cherries (will weigh closer to 1-1.2 lbs once pitted)

1/3 cup sugar

2 Tbs lemon juice

2 Tbs flour (or cornstarch)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 9″ baking dish, casserole dish, or deep pie dish.

Pit the cherries and cut them in half (optional, but I like the texture best this way), then combine in a bowl with the sugar, lemon juice, and flour to coat.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 30-40 minutes, until mixture is beginning to thicken and bubble.

Meanwhile, prepare the topping:

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold salted butter, chopped into pea-sized pieces (it was an extra hot day, so I used a stick directly out of the freezer, but the fridge is fine too)

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract (optional?)

1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

3/4 cup (100 g) flour

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or by hand), beat together the butter, confectioners sugar, and flavor extracts, if using. Mix until the mixture resembles coarse, lumpy crumbles, with some chunks of butter intact. Add the flour, and mix until combined, but still crumbly. If the mixture seems too dry, mix in 1 Tbsp cold water by hand. Refrigerate until the cherry filling is thickened and bubbly in the oven.

Remove the cherry dish from the oven, and crumble the shortbread topping evenly over it to coat.

Return to oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees, and continue baking for another 30 minutes, until the topping is beginning to turn golden and the cherry filling is bubbling up in spots.

Cool on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes. Serve warm, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

Note: Most of the information regarding the Gheen family in this post was found via the Family Search website, thanks in large part to the sharing of resources and information by other descendants of the Gheens.