Name: Tomato Cobbler with Basil Four Cheese Buttermilk Biscuits
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 pounds cherry tomatoes; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 onion, thinly sliced; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1 tablespoon fresh thyme; 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped; 1 teaspoon salt to taste; 1 teaspoon pepper to taste; 1 cup flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 4 tablespoons cold butter, cubed; 1 cup quatro formmagio (parmesan, asiago, fontina, provolone); 4 tablespoons fresh basil chopped or 2 TB dried; 1/2 cup buttermilk or milk

Tomato Cobbler with Basil Four Cheese Buttermilk Biscuits

Photo by Leith Devine

Author Notes

I grew up in NJ with the juiciest and most delicious tomatoes, and my mom used to make a dish like this. I'm sure she never heard of fish sauce though, which I add to my cooked tomato dishes. It adds that certain something without tasting fishy at all. Even so-so tomatoes taste heavenly in this dish, and the biscuits soak up the juice but stay crispy on the top. This could be a side dish or a vegetarian main dish. —Leith Devine

Prep time 30 minutes
Cook time 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

Four Cheese Buttermilk Biscuits
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¹/₄ teaspoon baking soda
¹/₄ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
1 cup quatro formmagio (parmesan, asiago, fontina, provolone)
4 tablespoons fresh basil chopped or 2 TB dried
¹/₂ cup buttermilk or milk

In This Recipe

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 1.75 qt baking dish and set aside. Slice in half 1/2 pound (approximately 1 cup) of the cherry tomatoes.
In a frying pan, add the olive oil and cook the sliced onion until brown and slightly caramelized. Add crushed garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add the halved cherry tomatoes and cook 10 minutes or until tomatoes soften.
Remove from heat and add fish sauce, balsamic, cornstarch, thyme, basil and salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange the remaining whole cherry tomatoes in the baking dish. Spread the onion mixture over the whole tomatoes.
Make the Biscuits:
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl or food processor.
Add the cold cubed butter and work in with your fingers or pastry blender or process until butter is in tiny bits.
Add the cheese and chopped basil, stir to combine. Add the buttermilk and stir or process until the dough comes together.
Drop biscuits around the edge of the baking dish leaving a little room between them.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until biscuits are browned and tomatoes are bubbly.