Cobblers, crumbles and crisps rely on the goodness of summer fruit to create a sumptuous dessert. A cobbler features a biscuit-like topping, which is usually placed haphazardly on the fruit filling -- resembling the cobbles of a road.

A blackberry cobbler cooks berries, which usually peak from June to August, depending on your region, into a thick filling that bubbles up among the cakey biscuit topping. The blackberry filling is a simple mixture of sugar, berries and flour or cornstarch, making blackberry cobbler a quick and easy dessert. You can cook the berries ahead of time to create a thick filling; or, as is done for most cobblers, you leave the filling ingredients uncooked, top with cobbler topping and let the syrup develop in the oven.

A filling cooked in advance is usually reserved for more labor-intensive desserts, such as fruit-filled pies. You can use this filling for a cobbler with excellent results, though.

• 5 cups fresh or unsweetened frozen blackberries
  
• 1/4 cup water plus 2 tablespoons, separated
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  
• 1 tablespoons cornstarch
  
• zest of one small lemon
  
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt
  

Place the berries and the 1/4 cup of water in a pot over low to medium heat. Stir in the sugar and bring to a simmer, continually stirring until the sugar dissolves. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with the 2 tablespoons of water until all the lumps dissolve. Add the cornstarch slurry to the blackberries, stirring constantly. Return the mixture to a simmer; the berries should thicken slightly. If it becomes too thick -- like jelly -- add more water to thin it. Mix in the lemon zest and salt. Spread the filling into a casserole dish and top with the cobbler pastry, and bake according to your recipe.

One of the biggest advantages of making a cobbler for dessert is the limited work involved. An uncooked filling can be just as delicious as a precooked one, and dirties just one dish. When the filling cooks in the oven with the topping, flour adequately thickens the berry mixture.

• 5 cups blackberries
  
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  
• zest of one small lemon
  
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt

Stir together the blackberries, sugar, flour, lemon zest and salt. Pour into the baking dish and top with the cobbler batter and proceed with your recipe.