Peach Cobbler: A Taste of Southern Summer

Imagine this....Denver in June.  Days are dry and hot, evenings, stormy.  Last night, I made the sides for a boneless leg of lamb my brother, Amir, lovingly cooked on the his grill for Darren and I, his wife, Renee, their friend, Mark, and Darren's sister, Sandra, who was in from a conference from Boston.  Along with this boneless roast I made the most decadent of potatoes gratin with gorgonzola and fontina cheese, roasted asparagus with thinly sliced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and a splash of 18 year old balsamic vinegar, and these delicious popovers.  For dessert, to end this feast, we had this peach cobbler.  This recipe is a hi-bred.  The recipe for the peaches themselves come from Cooks Illustrated. I liked the fact that they suggested macerating the peaches as oftentimes, peach cobbler I have had has been too runny.  The topping is an altering of a recipe I found on Food Network's site.  I lessened the amount of sugar in the recipe overall, particularly in the crust, and further added to the crunch by adding unrefined sugar (such as Turbanado) to the top before baking. I also cut back a bit on the amount of butter.   The result was sublime.  This amount served 6 with leftovers, but remember, this was after a pretty decadent feast.  I served the cobbler with a dollop of whipped cream that was scented with a bit of sugar and vanilla.

Darren suggests having a small layer of crust on the bottom of the cobbler.  If you like that kind of thing, make 1 1/2 times the crust, put 1/3 of the resulting dough into the bottom of the buttered dish, pressing it down firmly before adding the peaches.  Top with the remaining crust and bake as described below.

Peach Cobbler

SERVES 6-8

INGREDIENTS

Filling  

                 

2 ½ lb. peaches, ripe but firm (about 6-7 medium)

¼ c. sugar

1 t. cornstarch

1 T. lemon juice                                    

½ t. cinnamon (optional)

¼ t. table salt

                                   

Topping

1/3 cup sugar plus ¼ c. raw sugar for sprinkling

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch dice

1 egg, slightly beaten

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Peel peaches (if firm, with a peeler, if soft, by plunging in boiling water for 30 seconds then into ice water) and cut in half.  If you are using cling peaches, you’ll need to cut the flesh off the pit.  If using no cling peaches, take a spoon and scoop out the spiky flesh that attaches to the peach pit.  Cut each half into 4 slices.  Put the peach slices in a medium bowl with ¼ c. sugar (or more to taste).  Let this rest for ½ hour.  After ½ hour, pour the peaches into a colander that is in a bowl and mix ¼ cup of the drained juices with the cornstarch, lemon juice, and if desired, cinnamon. Pour peaches into a lightly buttered 8 x 8 inch glass or ceramic baking dish.  In medium mixing bowl, mix 1/3 c. sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in butter it is incorporated and add beaten egg. Mix until crumbly and sprinkle over fruit, covering all exposed fruit. Sprinkle on raw sugar and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden.  I would suggest you bake your cobbler on a baking sheet lined with foil to protect your oven in case of a spillover.  Serve with whipped cream scented with a bit of sugar and vanilla, or vanilla ice cream.