4th of July came around this year and I really wanted to cook something All-American, but I didn’t want to go the burger/hot dog route. Now, it’s not like I really went outside the box but I did want something from the cobbler family. And right now our year-round farmers market, Sigona’s, has several varieties of the most incredible, fresh peaches on sale right now. I subscribe to their email newsletter which always is always chock full of good information regarding what’s on sale, what just came in, new items, recipes directly from the Sigona family, etc., and also incentive coupons. If you spend over $30 they give you a little ‘Thank you!’ when you check out. I am never disappointed in what they give away and have always used the item up. They definitely have given me incentive to shop at certain time to make sure I get the giveaway.
Let’s bring it back to what I originally set out to share with you. I wanted something All-American and I wanted something in the cobbler family. Sigona’s just so happened to be giving away a small box of yummy peaches – 4 to be exact – and when I got the email showing that incentive item for the July 4th weekend I knew I had to make peach cobbler. This was totally reinforced on July 4th itself when someone I am connected to on Facebook happened to share what was, I believe, her mother’s peach cobbler recipe. It was destiny, at least to me; I must make a peach cobbler.
I’ve probably only made 1 or 2 cobblers in my time, sad to admit given that I am originally from the south where cobblers are second nature to most cooks, so I had to go on a quest for a good recipe I could use as a base. When faced with type of situation I tend to find 3-4 that initially sound good to me, and opt for the one that sounds closest to what I’m looking for and trying to create flavor-wise. Fortunately with desserts such as cobbler, and pie, you can adjust certain ingredients to fit your taste buds.
The version below was adapted from a recipe I ran across online. It’s now got my spin on it. This is to die for eaten warm on its own but especially with vanilla ice cream on top.
- Filling:
- 8-10 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced into thin segments or wedges
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg, or use fresh nutmeg and a micro plane and grate it, to taste
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Cobbler topping:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- ¼ cup boiling milk
- Cinnamon-sugar topping:
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 425º F.
- For the filling - In a large bowl, combine peaches, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly and pour into a 9” x 13” baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- For the cobbler topping – In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients up to the butter and whisk until well incorporated. Blend in butter pieces using a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingertips, until mixtures looks like coarse meal. Stir in milk until combined.
- Remove baked peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping all over them trying to get everything evenly covered. They will expand when they bake so don’t worry if some peaches are showing through.
- Mix together cinnamon-sugar topping, sprinkle evenly over the top. Bake until topping is golden, about 20-25 minutes. Check for doneness.
- Let cool at least 5-10 minutes before serving.