Friday, August 15, 2008

Blackberry Cobbler

We have a new episode of our Everyday Dish cooking show up, and this time it's blackberry cobbler. The recipe is super-simple to make and is perfect for fresh summer berries. Check out the video here.

The recipe for the cobbler is from my new pie book (The Complete Book Of Pies), which should be hitting book stores in the next few weeks. I love this recipe, which is a different style of cobbler. Instead of topping the fruit with biscuit dough, you fill your baking dish with a sweet batter, and top it with lots of fresh berries. When it bakes, the fruit falls to the bottom and the cake bakes up on top. What you get is a fabulous combo of pie and cake, all together in one dessert. It's really delicious, and can be thrown together in minutes (unless, of course, you have to pick the berries first).

Now, a little bit about my new book. This pie book was the longest and largest project I have done to date. Start to finish it was close to 3 years. That's a long time, and lots of things change in a three year period. When I started the book, I was vegetarian, not vegan, although I was certainly going in that direction. I just wasn't sure how I could be vegan while I was working on recipe projects that called for dairy and eggs. This was something that I struggled with for quite some time. What I eventually did was to finish the recipes which called for dairy and eggs first, and then develop all of the other recipes to be vegan (or vegan-friendly as they are titled in the book). This way I could be vegan and develop vegan recipes. It worked out to be a beautiful decision, and I have never looked back.

So, although the book is not vegan, it has 97 vegan-friendly recipes. The recipes are not only delicious, but pretty easy to make as well. I worked really hard to help demystify the art of pie making, and make it fun, easy and approachable. To say that I made hundreds of pies during the three years would be an understatement. I think the number may be closer to a thousand. I baked pies night and day for almost three years.

Now, here's the part that I'm hoping people will understand. My publisher decided that he wanted a few meat pie recipes in the book. I know! I really can't go into it too much, but regardless of my personal feelings on the matter (and I have many) there are 10 non-veg recipes in the book. The recipes came from another cookbook author, and were not written (or tested) by me. I really hope that everyone will understand that this was not my decision or choice, and not hold it against the book. I worked so hard on this book, and am really proud of it. I think that I accomplished what I set out to do, which is simplifying the process of pie making in a modern and fun way.

Life is definitely a journey, and it's exciting for me to be able to continue to work on the projects that are so close to my heart, like our Everyday Dish cooking show, The Cancer Project and now writing vegan cookbooks.

So, what are you waiting for? Get over to Everyday Dish and make that cobbler!!

17 comments:

Karla said...

yeah, i'm excited for your pie book! did you say when it was coming out? did i just miss it? i'll probably end up getting it for my mom, i think she would actually use it and probably get a kick out of it since she met you and all :o)
i think that's awesome that you didn't actually have to test or come up with any of the meat pies. maybe i'll veganize them if they sound tasty :o)

aTxVegn said...

I love the idea of a pie cookbook! I have a really old one called Retro Pies and all the recipes are very similar and uninteresting, so I am thrilled to be able to get one with your wonderful recipes.

I still occasionally make nonvegan food for nonvegan people, so I understand. Hey, most people aren't vegan! I made a soup with chicken broth several months ago, but I don't think I could buy raw meat and cook it - ewww.

Can't wait for the book!

jess (of Get Sconed!) said...

Julie I heart you, and I am really excited to have your pie book sitting on my cookbook shelf. I know we've talked about the non-vegan pies, and I'm sorry they're in your book. Would you like me to tear them out, cross them out, or print out recipes from Everyday dish and tape them in? That last option is probably it... : )

julie hasson said...

Thank you guys so much! I really can't express how much your comments mean to me.

Hey Karla! Your mom is so cute! Oh, and remember all of the blackberries on our fence? I went out to pick them last week and our neighbor had cut them all down. Of course he waited until they were all ripe!

Hi atxvegn! Thanks! You really made my day.

Hey Jess! I heart you too. -and you totally crack me up.

Thanks again you guys!!

BitterSweet said...

I'm so excited about this pie book! I can't wait to see it... And I bet it would be a fun challenge to veganize the non-vegan recipes anyways. :)

Carrie™ said...

I love pie. I would rather have a birthday pie than a birthday cake. The blackberry cobbler looks amazing!

MeloMeals said...

I can't wait to get your pie book! I totally understand about the meat recipes.. I'm just glad you didn't have to test them!

trina said...

Congratulations! You must be so happy to see this project completed, and I imagine that maybe making that compromise will mean that your book gets to a wider audience which is for the net good. I can't wait to see the book, and more immediately, try this cobbler recipe. It sounds wonderful!

aimee said...

Mmmm. Pie. I'm really looking forward to this cookbook!

Unknown said...

Ever since I learned to make cobbler like that at Skylark's Hidden Cafe in Fairhaven, WA I never bother with the crumbly top kind of cobbler. These are so much easier!

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Congratulations on the book being done & hitting the shelves! We will veganize all pies, ok?! xo!

JohnP said...

I am early awaiting the book!

Devadeva Mirel said...

i just discovered you as i was googling vegetarian italian sausage. love you stuff!

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

Julie, your cobbler looks fabulous - I love how the cake bakes to the top and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of The Complete Book of Pies! Congratulations on this great accomplishment!! You'll be reaching pie lovers with some awesome vegan recipes that might just make them think. I want mine signed! :)

Erin said...

Congrats on finishing your book! I'm interested, as I've been fairly unsuccessful with pie thus far. The cobbler looks fantastic.

Wes said...

Pie!

julie hasson said...

Thanks everyone!