The Dillard House Restaurant,
1158 Franklin St., Dillard.
706-746-5348
Q: Could you please get the recipe for strawberry cobbler from the Dillard House? I have searched for a recipe like the dish I ate this past weekend but with no luck. I [hadn't] had this since I was a child visiting my grandmother in Tennessee. Thank you.— Nancy Trivett, email
A: The Dillard House has been operating for almost 100 years. Opened in 1917 by Carrie and Arthur Dillard, the complex now includes cabins, cottages and a 92-room inn as well as the restaurant where the family continues to offer classic Southern cooking. Natalie Dillard Cross sent us this recipe and provided the beautiful photo as well. This cobbler is on the menu year-round, but she says it's particularly popular and particularly delicious when the mountain strawberries are at their peak in June and July.
The use of self-rising flour in the pastry dough makes it different from the usual pie crust. It rises like a biscuit when baked. Cross emphasizes that the pastry should be rolled out paper-thin.
Is there a restaurant recipe you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to svanatten@ajc.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.
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THE DILLARD HOUSE'S STRAWBERRY COBBLER
Hands on: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes, plus resting time for dough
Serves: 8
At the Dillard House, this cobbler is served with lightly sweetened whipped cream.
2 cups self-rising flour
2/3 cup shortening
11/2 cups plus 6 tablespoons ice-cold water, as needed, divided
1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling on pastry
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing on pastry
1/2 cup cornstarch
To make the pastry: In a large bowl, combine flour and shortening. Use a pastry cutter or forks to cut shortening into small flakes, with no flake larger than a pea. Stir in enough cold water, about 6 tablespoons, to form a stiff dough. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator 1 hour. May be made 1 day in advance.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 10-inch deep-dish pie pan.
To make the filling: In a large saucepan, bring strawberries, 1 cup water, 2/3 cup sugar and 1/2 stick butter to a boil over high heat. While strawberries are heating, in a small bowl, slowly pour cornstarch into remaining 1/2 cup water. Be sure to thoroughly dissolve cornstarch.
When strawberries have come to a boil, about 7 minutes, stir cornstarch mixture into strawberries. The strawberries will thicken instantly. Remove from heat and pour into prepared pie pan. Set aside.
Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out until it is paper thin. Using a round biscuit cutter, cut circles of dough and cover the top of the cobbler, overlapping the circles until all the strawberries are covered. Brush pastry with melted tablespoon butter and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake for 30 minutes or until cobbler is golden brown and strawberry mixture is bubbling. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Per serving: 448 calories (percent of calories from fat, 50), 4 grams protein, 52 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 25 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 19 milligrams cholesterol, 414 milligrams sodium.
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