peach cobbler

The peaches here in the Carolinas are to die for at the moment.  They aren't very big, but they are packed with flavor and juice.  I think they are wonderful simply eaten out of hand, bent over the sink so all of those juices don't run down the front of my shirt.  But I do like to make a dessert for Jim on occasion, so all those gorgeous peaches made me think of a cobbler.  There are a couple of different styles of cobbler -- one style is more cake-like, made with a batter -- but I prefer a cobbler topped with a biscuit-like dough with a crunchy top.

The first order of business is peeling the peaches.  The easiest way to peel peaches is to blanch them in simmering water for half a minute or so. 

once the peaches cool, the skin slips away easily

against the edge of a knife

once the peaches are peeled, they can be cut into segments roughly the size of orange segments.  This is best done over a bowl, to catch all of the juices.

I used a mix of yellow and white peaches -- 

whatever I could find at the fruit stand already ripe that day

When it comes to fruit desserts, I am a purist.  I want the fruit to be the star.  While wandering around the internet, looking at cobbler recipes, I was appalled at the amount of sugar in most of them.  For about 4 cups of peaches, many recipes called for about a cup of sugar.  Fruit abuse, in my opinion.  I added about 3 tablespoons of sugar to my already sweet peaches.  A touch of cinnamon is traditional, but I think it muddies the fruit flavor, so I left it out.  I do, however, think that lemon really enhances the flavor of most fruits, so I added the zest and juice of a lemon.  I added a tablespoon of flour just to thicken the fruit juices a bit.

Next came the "cobble".  The "cobbler" moniker comes from the resemblance the topping has to a cobbled street.  I make my favorite biscuit dough -- flour, salt, baking powder, butter, sugar, and light cream  -- and then add a bit more cream to make a loose, sticky dough.

the "cobble" was the texture of a drop biscuit

If you are interested in making a cobbler, just find a good biscuit recipe, and increase the moisture a bit, to form a sticky dough.  Once you have dropped it over the peach mixture, sprinkle on a tablespoon or so of sugar to help crisp the top.  Bake it at 425 for about 20 minutes, or until the topping is crisp, and the peaches are bubbling at the edges.

a very easy, and scrumptious, dessert

pretty elegant-looking for a simple dessert