Blackberry Ginger Cobbler, Perfected

I posted awhile ago that I had made a so-so cobbler, and have since experimented my way to the top. This one is the winner. Even Jon McPhie, who unbeknownst to me does not like berries, ate it and said, "this is actually good!" So ladies, make this with confidence.

I actually made this to take to someone's house for Thanksgiving, but, knowing that we would have to leave early - likely before dessert was served - I left it in the car, and Alan and I ate it ourselves later on that night... I'm embarrassed, but don't regret it.

Filling
~6 cups of blackberries (fresh or frozen - we used frozen and it was great)
1 T vanilla
1 t cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T corn starch (or tapioca, if you prefer)
juice & zest of half a lemon
about 1 inch of ginger root, minced/grated/shredded

Topping
1 cup flour (I did half unbleached white flour and half whole wheat pastry flour)
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
3 T brown sugar
4 T unsalted butter, cut into small chunks (I used salted butter and it was fine)
2/3 cup buttermilk

First mix up the filling and let it sit while you put the topping together. Preheat your oven to 425F.

For the topping, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. Then cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or just use your hands to smash it into the dry ingredients until you form more of a crumble. It's okay if there are little bits of butter in there, but try to get all the big chunks mixed in. Then add the buttermilk and stir it into a dough.

Pour the filling into a buttered 9x9 baking dish and spoon the topping over it. Use a spatula to spread it out and cover most or all of the topping. I like to sprinkle it all with a little turbinado sugar afterwards. Then pop it in the over for about 25 minutes.

I like to bake it at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time so the top part of the topping gets crispy but the bottom part stays kind of gooey. If you like it all cooked the same, decrease the temperature and bake for longer.

Best. Fish. Tacos.

You might know that I'm a sucker for fish tacos. In my heaven, every day will be Taco Tuesday. But for some reason I usually leave the cooking to someone else. Until now. And my world changed.

There are some issues with these that make them less than all natural, and some I'm willing to deal with and others I'm not. Specifically:
a) the tortilla. There are lots of good options for less processed, healthier tortillas. But let's get real - if it's a fish taco, it has to be on a corn tortilla. End of story. No compromises from me.
b) the sauce. This is where my beef lies (only metaphorically, of course) because the white sauce on fish tacos is usually mayonnaise-based, and I just can't bring myself to eat that. You can get olive oil mayonnaise now which is better, but still not my favorite option. So, the only real "recipe" here is the sour cream-based sauce I came up with. The rest of it is pretty intuitive. And so is the sauce, for that matter - really this whole entry is just a nudge to go eat a delicious taco.

Cilantro-Lime Dressing:
1/2 cup sour cream (can be light if you want)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro (about a handful of leaves, you can include the stems too)
juice from 1 lime
1/4 of a ripe avocado
splash of vinegar (if you want a bit more bite to it)
1 jalepeño (optional)

Put the sour cream, garlic, and cilantro in a blender and blend until there aren't any big chunks of cilantro left. Add the lime and avocado, and then taste to see if it's tangy enough. If not, add a little vinegar, or leave it out if you like it more creamy.

Accompaniments:
-shredded cabbage
-salsa and/or hot sauce (my favorite with this is Trader Joe's salsa especial - fabulous)
-slices of avocado (if you're like me and can't quite get enough - though there's some in the sauce already)
-corn tortillas
-grilled mahi, ono, or whatever fish you prefer

The best option I've found for getting fish for the tacos is in the Trader Joe's frozen section. They have Mahi Pieces, which are about half the price of regular mahi and already the perfect size for tacos. It's not a great season for mahi so they've been a little scarce lately, but keep an eye out. I season mine a little with some salt before I throw it in the grill pan, but you don't need much more than that if you're going to put sauces on it.

TACO LOVE!!