Cobbler belongs to the American vernacular the way apple pie does, but with less pretension and more generosity. It asks nothing of you but ripe fruit, a quick biscuit dough, and the patience to let it bubble in the oven until properly done. No crimping crusts. No blind baking. Just fruit and topping, united by heat.

Cherries make exceptional cobbler. Their brief summer season creates urgency, that feeling of eating something fleeting and therefore precious. But frozen cherries work beautifully here, and I'll not apologize for saying so. A February cobbler made with good frozen fruit beats a July cobbler made with mealy supermarket specimens every time.

The almond extract is traditional with stone fruits and worth seeking out. It amplifies the cherry flavor rather than competing with it, a subtle nod to the almond hidden within every cherry pit. Combined with the buttermilk biscuit topping, you get something that tastes like summer celebration whether you serve it at a Fourth of July picnic or a Tuesday night supper.