Slow-Cooked Blueberry Cobbler

To celebrate my three-hour-plus visit to the dentist this past Friday, I present the absolute most sugary dessert I have made in months.

Yes, I said three-hour-plus.   Actually it was even more than that because it had been so long since I had been to see the dentist that the hygenist actually had to break my simple, routine cleaning into two separate appointments. So the second appointment began with the resumption of scraping, plying and carving plaque off my teeth. Sadly, from there, it went seriously downhill.

I am currently sporting a temporary crown on the tooth that within the “industry” is cleverly given the name, “number 14,” one away from the final molar on the upper left side of my teeth which itself is called, surprisingly, “number 15.” The temporary crown will remain employed as protector of the whittled down actual tooth underneath it until the permanent crown – the one that has to come from “the lab” and takes two weeks – arrives and hopefully likes my mouth enough to agree to protect and serve for at least the next forty years.

The permanent crown will be made of porcelain, but the temporary crown is only made of simple plastic, and I’m frightened of doing any chewing on that side of my mouth, even though Dr. Jacobs assured me that it was securely fixed to good old “number 14″ and if it were by chance to fall out, I could simply pop it back in place like a Lego piece, which somehow managed to make me feel even more ashamed of the current state of my teeth.

Having said all that, you may be asking yourself, “Gary… based on your recent dental drama, is it really a good idea to head straight for a recipe that calls for one and a half cups of sugar, along with cinnamon and nutmeg?”

I could reply that I’m the kind of guy who likes to live on the edge, or that now is the perfect time to down a lot of sweet stuff since there’s nothing really for it to stick to on my teeth, so a quick brush and floss could handle it.  Or I could direct you back up to the first picture in this post and dare you to tell me when it’s ever a good idea to not make this blueberry cobbler.

But the truth is that I actually made this at the beginning of summer and it’s been lying in “draft limbo” ever since.  The blueberries on the Southern California shelves back in June were more plentiful, tasty and inexpensive than their August counterparts, but really cost isn’t an issue when the finished product comes out this delicious.  And then there’s that bonus slow-cooker aroma that fills your apartment complex for most of the afternoon, letting your neighbors know that the local chef’s got it going on today… well, you can’t put a price on that publicity.

Pretty simple to put together, and then the slow cooker does the hard part!  Top with a little whipped cream and serve it up to celebrate the impending end of summer or an upcoming root canal!

Slow-Cooked Blueberry Cobbler

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 cups blueberries
• 1/2 cup water

Combine flour, 1/4 cups sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.In another bowl, combine eggs, milk and oil. Stir into dry mixture until moist. Spread over bottom of slow cooker.  In a saucepan, combine blueberries, water and remaining sugar. Pour into slow cooker. Cover; cook on High for 2 hours.

Tags: blueberry, crock pot, dessert, slow cooker