Dinner with Julie

Garlicky Cherry Tomato Cobbler with Cornbread Biscuits

My peroghies keep getting put off. Today I had no sour cream. And really, there’s no point.

But I did have two pints of cherry tomatoes (am growing weary of the grape and strawberry tomato and reverting back to the classic cherry) that I bought at the market last weekend with the intention of roasting. Would have made good pasta sauce, but for some reason the idea of a vegetable cobbler popped back into my head – something I made with chard years ago. So I drizzled them (and a few cloves of garlic) with olive oil, roasted them until dark and sticky, dropped spoonfuls of cornbread batter on top and baked it. It was good enough. Worked as a late lunch-early dinner before going out to First Thursday at Art Central and the Spoken Word Festival at the Auburn Saloon. (Seriously – SEVENTY dollars for a babysitter when we were home at barely eleven? Is that really the going rate these days? Am I that severely out of touch? Babysitting pays a helluva lot more than food blogging.)

Next time I might add a bit of cheese to the drop biscuits, or crumble some among the roasted tomatoes before spooning the dough on top.

Garlicky Cherry Tomato Cobbler with Cornbread Biscuits

2 pints cherry tomatoes (or grape)
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled
a good drizzle of olive or canola oil
Salt & pepper

Biscuits:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt
1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into bits
1/2 cup low fat sour cream or yogurt
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Spread out the tomatoes and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roll the tomatoes around with your hands to coat them. Roast for half an hour, or until they release some of their juices and start to darken. Scrape the lot into a baking dish.

To make the biscuits combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and blend with a pastry cutter, whisk, fork or your fingers until the mixture is well blended and crumbly. Add the sour cream and milk and stir just until you have a soft dough. Drop the dough in large spoonfuls or shape into rough biscuits with your hands and place on top of the tomatoes.

Bake for 40 minutes, until the biscuits are golden. Serves 4-6.

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