Tomato Cobbler with Gruyere Biscuits

Tomato cobbler with gruyere biscuits. Does that not sound like one of the greatest food ideas ever? Because it is. The concept of a savory cobbler had never really occurred to me before, but the moment I saw this one, I had two instantaneous thoughts. First, why had I never thought of a savory cobbler? And second, I absolutely had to rearrange our menu so we could try it immediately. It does require a bit more time than most people have on a weeknight, but it makes an excellent weekend meal. It also makes quite a lot of food. I was tempted to halve it but in the end I was very glad I made a full batch because the leftovers were great. I think this is an ideal dish to help bridge the time between summer and fall with the late garden tomato harvests and slightly cooler temperatures leaving us yearning for comfort food.

I was a bit wary that all the juices from the tomatoes would result in soggy biscuits floating in a sea of liquid. That was not the case. For one thing, the use of cherry or grape tomatoes is ideal because the skins help keep all the yummy juices inside. Also, flour is included as a thickener and ends up almost making something akin to a roux when mixed with the caramelized onions. Oh, did I not mention those yet? Yeah, as if it weren’t already good enough, caramelized onions are involved. I’ll just stop talking now so you can go rearrange your menu, gather the ingredients, and make this at the earliest opportunity.

Yield 8-10 servings

Ingredients

For the filling:
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh thyme
3 lbs. cherry or grape tomatoes
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1½ tsp. coarse salt
Pinch of black pepper

For the biscuit topping:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup grated gruyere cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
1½ cups heavy cream

Directions

01
To prepare the filling, combine the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked down and caramelized, about 20-25 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes more. Remove from the heat and let cool.
02
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. In a large bowl, combine the onion mixture, tomatoes, flour, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. To make the biscuit topping, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture is crumbly and small clumps form. Mix in the cheese. Stir in the cream with a fork until a sticky dough forms and the dry ingredients are incorporated.
03
Transfer the tomato mixture to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Using a large ice cream scoop or a ¼-cup measure, drop clumps of the biscuit dough evenly over the tomato mixture. Sprinkle the top with additional grated cheese. Bake until the tomatoes are bubbling and the biscuits are golden, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes before serving.

Source

Martha Stewart Living July 2011 via Pink Parsley Catering