Recipe: Stove Top Cherry Cobbler for One (Vegan)

I do not have central air conditioning. This may be remarkable for an American, though not as remarkable for my area of the country and the age of the building I live in. As such, I avoid, as much as possible, having my oven on in the summer. This meant, for a long time, depriving me of the goodness of things like cobbler with fresh summer fruit.

As I continue going through old cookbooks to find recipes I want to try to make or to make my own, I found a non-vegan recipe for a cherry cobbler that is simmered on the stove, like dumplings, that I immediately had to try to veganize. Better Homes and Gardens Cooking for Two (2002) inspired this recipe. I was momentarily thrown off by the request that I put in an egg yolk, but I persevered, and found a solution. I also scaled it down to serve one. Not enough desserts that aren't mug cakes are in single-serve sized recipes!

It was utterly delightful. My cutting board is stained with cherry juice and I don't even care (but be warned about that--to me that's not a big deal because it goes away if you give it time). I'm sharing this recipe here for two reasons: One, so I don't forget what I did myself (because wow) and two, so you can make it if you want. Though honestly the first one might be the stronger motivator in this case. I hope to experiment with this method to make other cobblers with other fruit.

This is the first time I've ever cooked with fresh cherries. You can use frozen cherries here, but if you have fresh, please use them; they're pretty amazing and hold their shape better. Yes, this does mean you have to pit the cherries. But this recipe only serves one person, so it isn't too bad. You may decide you want to share with other people, in which case, feel free to double the recipe or size up (along with the pan) according to your needs.

Stove Top Cherry Cobbler
Serves: 1

Filling:
1 cup pitted fresh red cherries or 4 oz. frozen unsweetened pitted red cherries (pitting tip below)
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice or water

Topping:
1 teaspoon ground flax seed
1 teaspoon canola oil (or other neutral oil)
1/2 tablespoon warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon non-dairy milk (I used soy)
1 teaspoon finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Cinnamon Sugar:
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of cinnamon

1. If you aren't starting with pitted cherries, pit your cherries by slicing around the outside, dividing the halves, and removing the pits, like you would with a peach. Put all the filling ingredients in a small saucepan, stir well, and let sit, off heat, for 10 minutes.

2. While your cherries are resting, prepare the topping. Mix flax seed, canola oil, and warm water in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter with two knives or a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Add in the flax seed mixture, non-dairy milk, and finely chopped nuts and mix until moistened.

3. Leave your topping mixture waiting while you cook your cherries over medium heat until the mixture thickens and is bubbling. Reduce heat to low and immediately, but gently, spoon the topping in two roughly-equal-sized mounds on top of the simmering cherries. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar over the topping. Cover.

4. Let cook on low, covered, undisturbed, for 10 minutes. Check the topping for doneness by inserting a toothpick in one; it should pull out clean. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar on top. Serve warm, with or without whipped coconut cream or non-dairy vanilla ice cream.