Blackberry-Raspberry Skillet Cobbler

Dora Charles is a well known Southern cook and cookbook author.  I have 2 or 3 of her cookbooks.  Aside from the wonderful recipes, it is just fun to read her narrative.  This one, according to Dora, came about by accident.  The original recipe calls for just blackberries.  She started gathering the ingredients once to make it and discovered she didn't have enough blackberries, but she did have raspberries.  She combined the two and came up with this jewel.

It is best prepared in a cast iron skillet.

Filling

1 stick butter

3 cups blackberries

1 cup raspberries

Grated zest of 1 lemon mixed with 2 tablespoons sugar

Batter

1 cup self-rising flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Melt the butter in a 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet.  Remove from the heat.

Mix the berries with the lemony sugar and spread them out in the bottom of the skillet.  Let them soften for a couple of minutes in the oven, adding a little water if they seem dry.

Make the batter:  Whisk together the flour, sugar baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.  Stir in the milk.  The batter will be thick.

Cover the fruit with the batter.  It's okay if it doesn't entirely cover the fruit.  Bake the cobbler until the fruit is bubbling up the edges, about 20 minutes.

Let cool a good half hour before eating.