Signal Hill Blueberries for Cinnamon Biscuit Blueberry Cobbler

Cinnamon Biscuit Blueberry Cobbler

From time to time I get emails from curious readers from different parts of the globe , wondering just where in the world I am. The blog has seen readers from 127 different countries since it started almost a year ago, some of whom had never heard of Newfoundland. I was reminded of that a few days ago when I went blueberry picking with the family on historic Signal Hill here in St. John's, Newfoundland and thought I'd share with the good readers a small piece of our beautiful corner of the world.

From high atop Signal Hill, what you see spreading all around you are beautiful vistas of the Atlantic Ocean, our city and a ruggedly beautiful coastline. In the photo below is the view as you look east from Signal Hill. The point of land that can be seen at the right of this photo is Cape Spear, the most easterly point of land in North America. Head east from here and the next thing you hit is Ireland.

Historic Cabot Tower sits at the highest point of Signal Hill and it is the first stop for the many thousands of visiting tourists to St. John's each year. On any given day you may find as many locals as you would tourists, the views are so spectacular that even after decades of gazing, we never tire of them. The tower was built in 1897 to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of John Cabot's discovery of Newfoundland in 1497.

At the base of the hill lies Fort Amherst which sits at the Narrows, a mere slit of an opening to St. John's Harbour, one of the most sheltered ports on the continent.

Below is a view of downtown St. John's, Newfoundland from historic Signal Hill. The hill is very significant in the history of communications as well, being the point of land that Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal from Cornwall, England on December 12, 1901. It was a single letter "S" sent in Morse Code. How far we've come since then.

Below is a panoramic view of downtown St. John's including it's famous sheltered harbour and sheltering Southside Hills. Cabot Tower sits at the top of Signal Hill on the horizon just to the left of center in this photo. Click on the photo to see a larger version, as you can with all of the photos in this series. (UPDATE: It seems the format of this panoramic photo is incompatible with Blogger. To see a larger version of this image, just follow this link to all of the photos from Rock Recipes and click on the thumbnail there. The most recent photos from the blog are at the end of the list: http://picasaweb.google.com/barrycparsons/RockRecipes

Wild blueberries are an iconic image in Newfoundland's natural environment and indeed, it's history. The grow wild on Signal Hill as they do all over the island. Many, if not most Newfoundlander's recollections of late summer and early fall are peppered with memories of family outings to go blueberry picking. Gallons of blueberry jam were made and bottled for winters to come and served as both memories of summers past and promises of those yet to come. Many folks still take to the barrens and rocky hills at this time of year in search of these sweet blue pearls to fill their freezers for those slightly more tolerable but still endless, Newfoundland winters.

...and finally, the fruits of our labours on this occasion, found their way into this delicious Cinnamon Biscuit Blueberry Cobbler. The vanilla Ice Cream is in no way optional!! ;)



Mix together until well combined
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ tbsp corn starch
Toss together with
6 cups blueberries
4 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest, finely grated

Pour into the bottom of an ungreased 9x9 inch glass baking dish.
NOTE: This recipe uses fresh blueberries. If using frozen blueberries, allow them to thaw completely and come to room temperature before using them in this recipe.

Sift together
1 ½ cups flour
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon

Cut in with a pastry cutter or in a food processor:

¼ cup + 2 tbsp very cold butter, cut in cubes

Beat together:
1 egg
½ cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Add to dry ingredients and mix together just until dough forms. Pat the dough to a one inch thickness and cut out 9 biscuits with a biscuit cutter. Egg wash the tops of the biscuits and sprinkle the tops with a little sugar. Place the biscuits on top of the blueberry mixture. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the blueberries are bubbling at the center of the pan and the tops of the biscuits are golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream.