I love tomatoes unconditionally. I think I am in the minority.
People have a lot of issues with tomatoes. I only like raw tomatoes. I only like cooked tomatoes. I only like tomatoes when they are in sauces. Lots of qualifications. I can proudly say I like tomatoes of all shapes and sizes, cooked or uncooked—as long as it is tomato season. Shoot, that is a qualification. But have you seen the things they try to sell you in January in the Midwest? They have as much to do with tomatoes as a tennis ball does. Well, lucky us, tomato season is here. Let’s celebrate.
This cobbler is a great way to start the party. A pile of cherry tomatoes is topped with cheesy biscuit dough and baked until it is all bubbly and smells so good you will have a very difficult time waiting for it to finish cooking. The finished dish is delicious. There isn’t a better word to describe it. I shared this with two fair-weather tomato friends, Bryan “I don’t like raw tomatoes unless they are in pico de gallo, and I never like tomato guts” and Kerry “I don’t love cooked tomatoes“. Both agreed it was delicious. Bryan is even eating the leftovers as I type this. I served it with a salad and it made for a completely satisfying lunch. Bottom line: make this now.
Tomato Cobbler (adapted from Martha Stewart Living, July 2011)
Filling:
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2.5-3 pounds cherry tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Biscuit topping:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Coarse salt
- 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (2 1/4 ounces), plus 1 tablespoon, for sprinkling
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, plus more for brushing
Make the filling: Heat oil in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let cool.
Toss onion mixture, tomatoes, flour, and red-pepper flakes with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and some pepper.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Make the biscuit topping: Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or rub in with your fingers until small clumps form. Stir in cheese, then add cream, stirring with a fork to combine until dough forms. (Dough will be sticky.)
Transfer tomato mixture to a 2-quart baking dish (2 inches deep). Spoon 7 clumps of biscuit dough (about 1/2 cup each) over top in a circle, leaving center open. Brush dough with cream, and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon cheese. Bake until tomatoes are bubbling in the center and biscuits are golden brown, about 50-60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for 20 minutes.
Kathryn says:
August 17th, 2011 at 5:29 am
Oh my goodness, this dish is my idea of heaven. All those beautiful roasted tomatoes!
Caffettiera says:
August 17th, 2011 at 6:24 am
We are all unconditional tomato lovers here, provided they are good. Which in Germany is not the easiest thing.. But still. Your maple roasted tomato recipe helps. Beautiful recipe.
Sophie Delphis says:
August 17th, 2011 at 6:30 am
I would not have thought of this, but I’m absolutely smitten.
Sarah says:
August 17th, 2011 at 7:06 am
I’m starting to realize that tomato + any form of bread is unequivocally a good thing. Tomato sandwich. Panzanella. Tomato tarts. And now this! Beautiful.
Cara@DueSpaghetti says:
August 17th, 2011 at 7:13 am
Oh my, all of these tomato recipes are killing me! You’re right, here in the midwest we need to take full advantage of our tomato season.
DessertForTwo says:
August 17th, 2011 at 7:15 am
How perfect! I’ve got about 8 pounds of cherry tomatoes staring at me from the garden. I’m loving this unique biscuit topping!
vanillasugarblog says:
August 17th, 2011 at 7:42 am
love love love.
anything with a cheesy dough plus tomatoes is my kind of summer food.
sally says:
August 17th, 2011 at 7:59 am
Oh man. What a fabu idea!
Whitney says:
August 17th, 2011 at 8:15 am
Wow-Wee that looks good.
merry jennifer says:
August 17th, 2011 at 8:24 am
I’m so with you on the tomato love. I wish I weren’t trapped at home today waiting on the Sears repairman. I really want to run out to the store to buy some tomatoes to make this NOW.
alittlepicnic.wordpress.com says:
August 17th, 2011 at 9:17 am
You are killing me here! My post for tonight- would be my adaptation of this exact recipe. First the zucchini pickles, and now this. Are you sneaking into my wordpress account????
Sarah@alittlepicnic!
Malori says:
August 17th, 2011 at 9:28 am
I love all kinds of tomatoes as well. I grew up in the west where you can really get fresh wonderful fruits and veggies year round but I relocated to Chicago for school and was SHOCKED at some of the stuff they try to pass of as “fresh” during the off season. Yikes! So I’m soaking up tomato season for all its worth :)
Jacqui says:
August 17th, 2011 at 9:30 am
I’m totally with you on the tomato issue, I love them any way! What a great idea to smother them with cheesy biscuit dough, yum!
keishua says:
August 17th, 2011 at 10:00 am
love this. we just had a ton of tomatoes and made salsa with them but this is a neat idea. i love tomatoes and really can’t have them too many ways.
Jan Canyon says:
August 17th, 2011 at 11:22 am
This solves the soggy bottom crust problem with tomato pie!! I am making this immediately to uze all those glorious tomatoes. Thanks for another delicious recipe, and your photos are great too.
Sasha says:
August 17th, 2011 at 11:48 am
I have never had a savory cobbler before, but i am going to take your advice and make this now! Tomato season is too short to wait.
Caroline Shields says:
August 17th, 2011 at 12:06 pm
pastry + tomatoes = amazing!
Sasha @ The Procrastobaker says:
August 17th, 2011 at 12:14 pm
this looks fabulous! I used to be in the ‘only un-sliced tomatoes’ category, but now love toms in all their glory :) so hurrah for this gorgeous recipe and for the veggie patch that is about to make this recipe a reality!
Adrianna from A Cozy Kitchen says:
August 17th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
Savory cobbler?! With tomatoes no less. Umm…yes please! This looks crazy awesome and different.
Julia says:
August 17th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
This looks so delicious! I would have never thought to make a savory cobbler. The cheesy biscuit-y cobbler crust looks like the perfect thing! Yum. Will definitely have to try this.
Kathryn | Dramatic Pancake says:
August 17th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
TIm, this looks amazing! Such a fresh, unique take on the cobbler, which I don’t often think of as savory. Biscuit, cheese and tomatoes = GENIUS.
heather @ chiknpastry says:
August 17th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
All you have to say is cobbler and Im sold, but the fact that tomatoes are part of this one is even more awesome.
i used to be like the others you mentioned – i only liked cooked tomatoes – but now i pretty much take them any way i can get them (of course, if they aren’t in season, then canned, please…..).
Katie says:
August 17th, 2011 at 4:21 pm
I can’t imagine a dish I want more than this right now. This looks so incredibly delicious. I was thinking of slow-roasting my tomatoes, but I think I’ll jump on these idea instead. You just made me quite hungry.
sp says:
August 17th, 2011 at 8:25 pm
made this tonight, halved recipe and used a loaf pan. wasn’t too strict on the measurements and it was still really tasty. had some left over biscuit dough so i dropped it on a silpat and baked it for 15minutes. the stand-alone biscuit was a little grainy but delicious, but as the topping for the cobbler it’s even better.
i also made a vegan biscuit version by using this recipe (more or less):
http://www.holycowvegan.net/2009/02/vegan-buttermilk-biscuits.html
that recipe called for cooling the dough for 15-30min and i think that may be why the topping for the vegan version didn’t really fall into the tomato mixture as much
either way, both versions were super tasty, thanks for the recipe! and for the pictures – it’s really what inspires me to action
Maglie says:
August 17th, 2011 at 8:38 pm
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I made it for dinner tonight but I put a load of chopped fresh basil in the tomato mixture and used whole wheat flour for the biscuits. It was so good!
Alanna says:
August 17th, 2011 at 11:40 pm
This looks amazing – I am all over it.
Jennifer says:
August 18th, 2011 at 7:34 am
I think I made this last year and recall it was delicious. With piles of heirloom cherries on my counter it just may be dinner tonight.
Shaz@feedingmykidsbetter says:
August 18th, 2011 at 7:44 am
What a great summery dish!
Dolores says:
August 18th, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Have you tried tomato marmalade? I´s delicious!!! It´s one of my favorite flavors from childhood… on a buttered toast? heaven!
Susan says:
August 19th, 2011 at 7:45 am
Complete and total genius! Perfect with a zucchini and Cheddar biscuit topping … talk about killing two birds with one stone when it comes to using up some of the summer garden’s largesse!
My counters are sagging under tomatoes and zucchini this week … you’ve given me one more for the cooking arsenal! Tasty, too!
Stacie D says:
August 19th, 2011 at 8:30 am
Genius! Rocketing to the top of my recipes to try list & a great introduction to you blog ( saw the recipe in a James beard foundation tweet). Can’t wait to explore you blog!
Tim says:
August 19th, 2011 at 9:10 am
Thanks for all of the great, encouraging comments!
Tomato cobblers, rock. And I am glad to hear that people are adding and adapting this one, it seems perfect for that. Zucchini seems like a great addition!
Sensible says:
August 19th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
I love tomatoes, all of them, in any form, and this cobbler is brilliant.
Do you think the filling would freeze well? I’m always trying to figure out ways to carry a little summer-tomato goodness into the winter.
Sensible says:
August 19th, 2011 at 1:16 pm
Let me follow up, having now read the whole recipe. (Sorry, I was too excited.) Do you think the filling would freeze well if you cooked it just a bit, or would that ruin the cobbler-ing process and end product?
Tim says:
August 20th, 2011 at 9:58 am
Sensible, My instinct is to say it wouldn’t work- but I am honestly not sure. I think the tomatoes would end up breaking down a lot more after the final baking and I don’t think that would be great. If you give it a try, let me know.
Stacy Marie says:
August 20th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
Tim, this was delicious!! Thanks for the great recipe, tomato love (well deserved) and excellent photographs. Lovely, as per usual. ;)
If anyone is considering substitutions, I made several, and it came out wonderfully. I used parmesan cheese, 2% milk and white whole wheat flour, and like sp up there, I cut it in half and put it in a loaf pan.
Oh, summertime, how I love you…
kickpleat says:
August 21st, 2011 at 7:57 pm
I’m one of those picky tomato people, but I really think I’m coming around. I grew up hating tomatoes big time, but now I love them in a burger, tucked into a sandwich or covered in balsamic in a salad. However, this looks delicious and it looks like a perfect summer meal. Now I just need to wait for a cooler day to come around.
Roxane & Thomas says:
August 21st, 2011 at 9:37 pm
Tim, Thomas just made this and it was a super delish tomato feast. We threw in several different types of tomatoes from the garden, including some Green Zebras and a Black Krim. With the the other little cherries, it was colorful to boot!
Tim says:
August 22nd, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Yay, R & T! So glad you gave it a try. Perfect way to use up all of these tomatoes. xoxo
K and A Alesandrini says:
August 23rd, 2011 at 7:36 pm
We made this tonight for dinner and it was moan-out-loud delicious. Oh, how we love you, Lottie + Doof. As we were a little over excited this spring and planted enough cherry tomato plants to be harvesting 3 lbs every other day for the time being, we just may be making this, well, every other day. Seriously.
sally says:
August 24th, 2011 at 4:33 pm
Okay, I officially made this twice in one week. Delicious! We added scallions to the filling, and that works too :)
Tim says:
August 24th, 2011 at 4:44 pm
Scallions sound like a great idea, Sally! Thanks!
junita says:
August 24th, 2011 at 9:55 pm
Made this tonight along with Food 52’s corn, caramelized onion and pancetta salad; Essential NYT’s roasted potato salad and watermelon + tomato salad; with an apricot parfait for dessert. The cobbler was my favorite dish! Thanks so much for posting this recipe.
tara says:
August 25th, 2011 at 6:25 am
i would take a tomato in most forms, especially this time of year. scallions sound delicious as an addition, or i’m thinking some thyme in the biscuits as well.
Jill says:
August 25th, 2011 at 8:28 am
I made this last night with cherry tomatoes from my garden. I used spelt flour and 2% milk for the biscuit top. We got fresh hot peppers in the CSA this week, so I threw a bit of them in, too. I thought it was great!
Cat says:
September 1st, 2011 at 10:02 am
I made a tomato cobbler once before. It was more like a gratin and I wasnt so impressed by it. This looks so delicious! (and way more cobbler-esque than what I had)
Lisa says:
September 2nd, 2011 at 8:53 am
Holy moly!! Was tempted to add a few tweaks when I made this last night but opted to go as written and am very glad I did. PERFECTION! Super stoked to have stumbled on your site and looking forward to more yumminess.
Erin says:
September 5th, 2011 at 5:55 am
Thanks for posting this recipe–made it last night and it was perfect–subbed 1 c. of whole wheat flour and used gouda instead of gruyere. Looking forward to heating up leftovers today for lunch!
Katie says:
September 5th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
I JUST made this and it was FANTASTIC. Thank you so much! I think this will become a staple in our household…
heather @ chiknpastry says:
September 6th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
alright, I’m back. Kept thinking about tomatoes and cobblers and so, last night when I had absolutely no idea what to make with my handful of tomatoes, i put together a cobbler that was inspired by this, but with lots of corn, too as well as whole wheat/splet flours! it was/is magnificent. thanks for the inspiration ;).
JoAnn says:
September 12th, 2011 at 9:02 am
Thank you for a way to use my tomatoes that is somewhat different from all the obvious choices. It looks fabulous and tasty!!!
Sasha says:
September 16th, 2011 at 3:29 am
I made this last night and it was super yummy; the perfect fall meal. Thanks for sharing!
Jessie says:
October 17th, 2011 at 11:28 am
Amen sista friend!!!
I am with you on the unconditional love of tomatoes…people can be so particular!
It also helps that our garden is very happily sprouting out lots of lovely juicy tomato babies :)
(We planted late and now get to enjoy them longer!)
I made this a bit ago and it is delicious! And a great leftover, bring to work/school the next day food.
Row says:
November 13th, 2011 at 10:27 pm
I’m an unconditional tomato lover as well… tomatoes taste great in every way! The pic of the tomato cobbler looks incredibly delicious. I’m sure this will be a great dish to have on hand as the weather gets colder!
Torie says:
January 2nd, 2012 at 5:07 pm
I am a HUGE fan of tomatoes as well and this dish looks absolutely divine. Will definitely try it and may even post it on my blog – linking to you of course !
Rachel says:
January 5th, 2012 at 7:52 am
Made this dish last night and it was fabulous! Thank you!
Eric says:
May 21st, 2012 at 10:14 pm
Making an adapted half recipe now! I had scallions, rather than larger onions. Plus, I added dried lemon peel and fresh parsley to the filling — with chopped Beefsteak tomatoes. A low fat Cheddar is in the crust. The kitchen already smells great! But I can also tell what my next spin on this cobbler will be: a Bloody Mary cobbler for a brunch.
erica says:
September 19th, 2012 at 6:21 am
I love this site and it kept me up much of last night. Good lord. Do you think this is a dish I could freeze? I want to make it before all my cherry tomatoes rot, but I don’t want to eat it just yet. Possible?
thank you thank you.
e
Gretta says:
March 24th, 2013 at 11:27 am
Just made this last night for friends and it was incredibly comforting and delicious. Everyone loved it. THANKS!!! still love your site. would still give you a shout out if I were stopped on the street again….
Louise says:
August 15th, 2013 at 3:55 pm
As luck would have it, this photo showed up on my screen today. My cherry tomatoes started ripening about two weeks ago so I only had to buy Gruyere. It will be made tomorrow. We have an incredible Mennonite farmer about 20 minutes away who is well known for his 150 varieties of heirloom tomatoes and 200 varieties of hot peppers. In late spring he sells seedlings and in season tomatoes & peppers. Gourmet Magazine did an article on him years ago. I think he turned down something for Martha Stewart.
Louise says:
August 19th, 2013 at 11:49 am
This turned out great with my homegrown cherry tomatoes. The biscuits stayed more biscuit-like than your photo. I served it as a side to grilled salmon. Great leftover too.
Heather says:
September 28th, 2013 at 9:27 pm
A friend just gave me pounds of her homegrown cherry tomatoes, and I remembered this recipe! It was so good that I may have eaten a helping more than was necessary… Love your beautiful blog, Tim!
faith says:
January 1st, 2014 at 8:57 pm
the tomato qualifiers just made me laugh, Bryan’s in particular. i wish it was always tomato season. this one looks fantastic. We’ve now tried and LOVE many of the recipes you’ve shared here. We’re one pot pasta believers. Happy New Year! Hello to Bryan! Hope you’re both well
Tim says:
January 3rd, 2014 at 10:30 am
thanks, faith! hope to see you soon. xo
Maria says:
July 1st, 2014 at 12:50 pm
could you make this recepie with greek yoghurt instead of heavy cream? I’m relatively new to the whole cooking thing…can’t wait to try! Thanks
Tim says:
July 1st, 2014 at 12:59 pm
Hi Maria- I havent tried. If you do, let us know!
Maddie says:
July 12th, 2015 at 8:29 pm
Just made this with my lonesome tomatoes hanging out in the fridge! I changed up a couple of things: fontina instead of gruyere, no flour in the tomatoes concoction (I didn’t have any yet in my new place!), and i added a hit of balsamic vinegar to the onions as they started to caramelize. It tastes incredible! Brings out the best in my humble little cherry tomatoes. Thanks for such a great post!