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Bear Fat Cobbler
This cobbler recipe is a great way to enjoy the last of this season's figs and transition into shorter days and cooler nights. There is a minimal amount of sugar in the dough, which allows you to taste the richness of the bear fat. Most of the sweetness you get will be from the figs themselves. On that note, use ripe figs that aren’t mushy.
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs. fresh figs halved
- 1½ tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp. sugar
- ¾ cups flour
- ¾ tsp. baking powder
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 3 tbsp. bear fat chilled, diced, or flaked
- ⅓ cup milk
Instructions
- Combine figs, ¼ cup sugar, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Toss to mix and set aside for an hour or two.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mix flour, ¼ cup sugar, and baking powder. Add cold bear fat, and use a fork to cut in until the mixture is crumbly looking, like wet sand. Add milk and stir until a soft dough forms.
- Pour fig mixture into a crock or deep-sided baking pan about 8”x8”. Spoon the dough over the fig mixture. Don't worry about getting it evenly distributed; the variation in thickness will add texture.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the dough comes out clean.
Notes
Cobbler was the first thing I ever made using bear fat, and it remains one of my favorites. Bear fat, also known as bear oil or bear grease, is a near-perfect culinary fat. It has a neutral flavor and smell, balanced richness, and the consistency is easy to work with.
Using bear fat in any baking application is a shoo-in. You can substitute bear fat for butter or shortening without any additional modifications to the recipe. Do note that bear fat has a thinner consistency than butter, so at room temp, the bear fat will be liquid. Chilling bear fat in the refrigerator firms it up and it will have a soft butter or shortening texture.
This cobbler recipe is a great way to enjoy the last of this season's figs and transition into shorter days and cooler nights. There is a minimal amount of sugar in the dough, which allows you to taste the richness of the bear fat. Most of the sweetness you get will be from the figs themselves. On that note, use ripe figs that aren’t mushy.
This cobbler is super simple to make: macerate the figs in lemon juice and sugar an hour or two before you want to bake your cobbler. Then mix up the dry ingredients, add bear fat and milk, and bake.
You can start this recipe before dinner and have warm cobbler by the time you're done eating your main course.
