“We just take a classic homey cobbler recipe and add green chile for extra zest,” Stella Watson says. “People love it.” Watson’s uses a prepared apple pie filling, which can vary in the amount of sugar and spice depending on the brand. Adding a little lemon juice will brighten the fruit, and a bit of fresh-ground nutmeg and cinnamon amps up the flavor. Taste your chosen filling and tinker with it as you wish. Top with vanilla ice cream or softly whipped cream.

FILLING

  • Two 21-ounce cans apple pie filling, such as Lucky Leaf Premium Apple or Caramel Apple Fruit Filling and Topping
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
  • ½ cup mild to medium New Mexico green chile, roasted, skinned, seeded, and chopped, including any accumulated juice, add more according to taste

BATTER

  • ½ cup salted butter
  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup whole milk

Serves 8

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the filling ingredients.

3. Melt the butter in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, either in the oven or on the stovetop over low heat. In another medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Mix in the milk until lightly blended. Spoon the mixture over the melted butter. Don’t stir it, which would preclude the development of crunchy edges.

4. Scrape the filling evenly over the batter.

5. Bake 45–50 minutes. As the cobbler cooks, the batter will ooze up and around the filling, creating a golden-brown crust with a mix of soft and crunchy edges. Serve warm.

This recipe originally appeared in "Smokin' on 66" by Cheryl Alters Jamison.