Southern Peach Cobbler With Pecan Topping

This is from Classic Home Desserts by Richard Sax. It’s such an amazing cookbook. There are histories and gorgeous photos and everything I have tried has been delicious. This cobbler is fantastic. I actually like to put the fruit in a 9x13 pan and make more of the biscuit dough because, for me, the dough is the best part of the cobbler. Mmmmmm. Also, to be honest, unless I’m terrible concerned about presentation, I don’t roll out the dough and cut it. I break off pieces and pat them into place more like a rustic cobbler. It’s quicker!

Fruit
4-5 pounds firm-ripe peaches
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 pint raspberries (optional)

Syrup
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch fresh-grated nutmeg
Pinch salt
2 Tbsp peach schnapps or liqueur, or Amaretto

Light Biscuit Dough
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup buttermilk

Pecan-Crunch Topping
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Fruit: Peel the peaches by immersing them in a large pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds; rinse under cold water in a colander. The skins should slip off easily. Halve the fruit, remove the stones and cut the fruit into wedges, letting the slices fall into a mixing bowl and tossing them with the lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Pour off any excess liquid, leaving the fruit somewhat moist. Add the raspberries (if using); toss to combine.

2. Syrup: In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the optional liqueur and stir with a fork or small whisk until free of lumps Drizzle this mixture over the fruit and toss gently with your fingers or a large spoon until thoroughly mixed. Transfer the mixture to a 9 inch square baking pan or other baking dish that holds about 2 quarts.

3. Light Biscuit Dough: Combine the dry ingredients. With a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Dribble most, but not all, of the buttermilk over the dry mixture. Stir to combine. If necessary add more buttermilk. The dough should hold together and be moist but not sticky. Gather the dough into a floured sheet of plastic wrap patting it together to form a disk. (The dough can be made several hours in advance; wrap and refrigerate until needed.)

4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pat out the dough on the dough on a lightly floured surface until about 1/4 inch thick. With a star-shaped cotter or a fluted round cutter, cut out the biscuits. Reroll and cut the scraps. Gently place the biscuits over the fruit arranging them fairly close together, or overlapping them slightly. Brush biscuits with milk.

5. Pecan-Crunch Topping: In a small mixing bowl, stir together the pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon. Scatter the topping over the dough.

6. Place the cobbler in the oven with a sheet of foil underneath to catch any drips. Bake the cobbler until the biscuits are golden and the fruit is bubbly, usually about 35 minutes. (If the biscuits begin to brown before the fruit is bubbly, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the dough and continue to bake until done.) Cool the cobbler briefly on a wire rack. Serve warm, with ice cream, frozen yogurt or cream.

Comments

[missy jill (What's Going On Here?!)]

Good to know about the Google hits, I'm adding this post title to my blog description. heh-heh.