savory tomato cobbler – The Answer is Always Pork

When I came home from work last Thursday, I was greeted by Miss Willow and a GORGEOUS bowl of cherry tomatoes. They were so beautiful and there were so many of them! I was so excited! Jordan had picked up our CSA earlier in the day and the tomato bounty of late summer finally hit.

Earlier in the week, I had been making my food blog rounds and saw a recipe for a Tomato Cobbler on Honey and Jam. I also saw a similar recipe on Lottie + Doof. I guess it was a Martha Stewart recipe gone viral, fueled by the surplus of tomatoes at this time of year. Well, the photos on both blogs were so beautiful and the recipe so tempting that I knew instantly what to do with my big bowl of cherry tomatoes.

When most people think of cobbler, they think of stewed fruit with a crumbly topping. This is similar technique turned savory— stewed tomatoes and onions with a biscuit topping.

Despite my absolute love of raw cherry tomatoes, I am so glad I made this dish. It was the definition of comforting, but also still fresh and bright. The biscuit topping was buttery and balanced nicely by the acidity of the tomatoes. Plus, no one’s ever criticized the combination of thyme and tomatoes. Like Hannah from Honey and Jam observed, this dish is the perfect transition between summer and fall.

Tomato Cobbler
For the tomato filling
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 pounds cherry tomatoes
3 T flour
olive oil, salt, pepper, chili flake, thyme

In a cast iron skillet or dutch oven, saute the onion in olive oil over low heat for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the biscuit topping and preheat an oven to 375 degrees. Add the garlic and saute for another 3 minutes. Turn of the heat and add the tomatoes, flour, and a nice pinch of salt, pepper, chili flake and thyme.

For the biscuit topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour (you can substitute APF if you don’t have cake flour)
1 T baking powder
1 T fresh thyme
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup butter, cold and cut into cubes
3/4 cup buttermilk

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the butter, rubbing it into the flour with your fingers until small clumps of dough form. Add the buttermilk, stirring until the dough is just combined. Divide it into 5 rough clumps and top the tomato mixture with the balls of dough. Bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour, until the biscuits are golden brown and the tomato mixture molten. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy and be transported to a heavenly buttery, tomatoey land.