Peach Cobbler

The peach, while some people prefer its hairless sister, nectarine, I love the fragrant smell and slightly sweet, tangy flavour of a ripe peach. The only thing better than a ripe peach on a warm summer day, is peach cobbler a la mode.

The cobbler is often confused with its cousins, crisps and crumbles. A cobbler is generally made of a biscuit like topping, which is flour based. It can be sprinkled roughly for a rustic appearance or rolled flat and cut into biscuits and layered on top. Crisps and crumbles have a crunchy coating made out of flour and/or oats, sugar, butter and spices. While cobblers require a bit more time to make than a crisp, a good cobbler is well worth the extra effort.




Peach Cobbler

Filling
5 lbs peaches, washed and sliced
½ cup of sugar
zest of half of 1 lemon
4 tbsp of cornstarch

Cobbler topping
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
10 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 egg



1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish or 9 inch deep dish pie pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine peaches, sugar, lemon zest and cornstarch. Pour into baking dish/pie pan.

3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in brown sugar. Add butter to the bowl and using a pastry knife or hands, gently crumble butter into flour mixture.


4. In a small bowl, whisk heavy cream and egg. Slowly pour into mixture, adding 1/3 at a time. Only add enough until the mixture just holds together.

5. Use a large spoon or your hands, scatter the cobbler topping over the peaches. Sprinkle some coarse sugar over the cobbler topping.

6. Bake until cobbler is golden brown, approximately 40 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Bon Appétit