The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

My favorite dessert recipes are those which rely on a combination of ripe, seasonal fruits with a few simple pantry ingredients to make culinary magic. This summer, after patiently waiting for three years, our young peach tree has finally produced a bounty of perfect fruit. Looking for a way to highlight their distinctive sweetness I decided to stick with the iconic homey southern classic, peach cobbler. Tossed with just the right amount of sugar and spice, slices of fresh peaches are baked under mounds of a biscuit-like topping with a beautiful, tender crumb.

Ingredients:

For the filling:

8 to 10 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced into wedges

¼ cup white sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons cornstarch

For the topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup white sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, plus more for pan

¼ cup boiling water

3 tablespoons coarse, raw, or demerara sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 2-quart, or 8 x 10-inch baking dish with butter.

In a large mixing bowl combine the peaches, ¼ cup white sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Toss to evenly mix, then spread fruit evenly over the bottom of prepared baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine flour, ¼ cup white sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Cut the chilled butter into small pieces and toss into the flour mixture. Use your fingertips or pastry cutter to blend the butter into the flour until it resembles a coarse meal. There should still be some large irregular chunks of butter. Pour in the hot water all at once and stir until a thick, wet dough is just formed together.

After initial baking time, remove pan from the oven. Using two spoons, drop spoonful dollops of the dough over the top of the peaches. It is okay if some of the fruit is exposed as the dough will expand while baking. In a small bowl, mix the demerara sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon together. Sprinkle spiced sugar evenly over the top of the cobbler.

Bake in the oven until top is golden brown and sides are bubbling, about 30 to 35 minutes. If the top is browning too fast, loosely cover the pan with foil for the last part of baking time. Remove and allow the pan to cool slightly for a few minutes before serving.

Notes:

This comforting summer dessert is best made with fresh fruit. Other stone fruits such as nectarines, plums, or apricots could be substituted or used in combination with the peaches. Huckleberries or blueberries would be delightful mixed with the peaches.

Serve this cobbler warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream. A chiffonade of fresh mint or basil as a garnish would be lovely over the top for color.

Enjoy!