Food Kuel Category Expert: Janet Neustedter
Fruit is truly one of the gifts of the world, and the bounty is endless. Any time of year a quick fix for a sweet tooth is a cobbler. You can make a cobbler with one fruit, or a combination, and depending on the season there are always choices!
“using balsamic vinegar to macerate the fruit means less sugar is required for cooking”
One thing that I do to make my cobblers from ordinary to over-the-top, “what’s that secret ingredient?”, is balsamic vinegar. When most people think of balsamic vinegar, of course the dark balsamic comes to mind. Dark balsamic vinegar is earthy, sweet, tangy and rich. The white balsamic vinegars are equally delicious and are light and naturally fruity and tangy. When white or dark balsamic vinegar is added to fruit, it draws out the natural fruit flavor. When you let the chemistry work, the balsamic and fruit sitting together for 30 minutes or more macerates the fruit.
What I have found, in using balsamic vinegar to macerate the fruit, is that less sugar is required for cooking. The balsamic vinegar actually draws out the fruit’s natural juices.
A Quick Cobbler:
If you want a quick cobbler, take about 2 cups of, for example, blueberries, and put them in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, and a teaspoon of sugar, honey, or maple syrup. (I do this but actually don’t even put sugar in). Let it cook for about 15 minutes, put it in a bowl and sprinkle nuts on top. That is a quick fix for a sweet tooth! Add some tapioca starch to thicken it up, 1 tablespoon for 2 cups of fruit.
Basic Fruit Cobbler:
- Peel and cut up 6 cups of fruit (if using apples, strawberries, peaches etc.)
- 1 heaping tablespoon of cinnamon (other spices can be added for apple, such as nutmeg)
- 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (white for the light fruit, dark for others. If using dark balsamic on peaches, for example, it will color the fruit darker).
- ¼ cup pure cane sugar or Monkfruit zero calorie sweetener
- 3 tablespoons tapioca starch
Stir that all together and let sit while you make the topping:
- 1 stick grassfed butter
- ¼ cup pure cane sugar or Monkfruit zero calorie sweetener
- 1 cup oats
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup pecans, almonds or walnuts
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
- Pulse ingredients together with a food processor.
- Using your hands sprinkle the topping over fruit.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until topping is browned and fruit is bubbly.
Join Janet In Her Kitchen:
About the Author:
Janet is a restaurant trained chef, who has always had a healthy cooking interest. After being exposed to the term Functional Medicine, Janet became energized with the connection of food being medicine and food potentially being harmful (in the case of allergies). That connection inspired her to become certified in Functional Medicine Health Coaching. Functional Medicine is about identifying and addressing the root cause of diseases. Food is often a part of that link. People with stomach “issues” may just need a simple adjustment in the food they eat to have less pain. People trying to lose weight can do it without 100 burpees or running marathons. As a certified Functional Medicine coach, she helps clients identify what foods can help meet specific health goals. You can learn more about Janet on her site – Here4You.
