I have been remiss. I live in the State of Georgia, known as the Peach State, and I am just now adding a recipe for a Peach Cobbler. My only excuse is that peaches taste so wonderfully sweet and juicy that most of the time we eat them just as they are, before I have a chance to use them in my favorite peach dessert, a cobbler.

A cobbler belongs to the family of old fashioned homespun desserts that have interesting names like crisps, crumbles, slumps, grunts, brown bettys, and pandowdys. What they all have in common, besides their funny names, is their thick bubbling layer of juicy sweet fruit covered with a crust. The crust does vary by dessert, and for a cobbler we use a biscuit dough, that can be either dropped by spoonfuls on top of the fruit, or it can be rolled and cut into biscuits before placing on the fruit. Either way, you end up with beautiful mounds of golden brown biscuits that are crisp on the outside and soft and flaky on the inside. Some say the biscuits look like cobblestones, which may be where the name "cobbler" comes from. The other theory is that "cobbler" comes from the expression "cobble up" which means to put together in a hurry.

Of course, the peaches that lie underneath the crust must be of excellent quality, so make this dessert in the summer, when peaches are in season. There are two types of peaches, 'Clingstone' and 'Freestone', with many varieties within each classification. The names (Clingstone and Freestone) refer to how easily the flesh of the peach separates from its stone. The Clingstone (available in late spring/early summer), is exactly that, the flesh clings stubbornly to the central stone or pit. Freestones (available late summer), on the other hand, have a flesh that is easily separated from the stone. I bring this up because how the stone is removed depends on the type of peach. For Freestones, all you need to do is cut the peach in half, and you can easily pull the stone from the fruit. Simple enough, but the Clingstone is different. I find it easier to just cut the flesh from around the stone, not even bothering to cut the peach in half.

Once the peaches have been peeled and cut into wedges, they need to be sweetened. Since peaches can vary in sweetness, use the amount of sugar given in a recipe as a guide. Another important part of the fruit filling is cornstarch that is needed to thicken the juices released by the fruit as it bakes. The cornstarch is what turns the watery fruit juices into a lovely thin clear syrup, perfect for spooning over the biscuits and fruit.

Now, the final step is to assemble the cobbler. First place the fruit on the bottom of an oven proof dish and then evenly place the biscuits on top. Bake the cobbler until the filling is bubbly and the biscuits are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in one comes out clean. I like to serve a cobbler warm from the oven with a dollop of whipping cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or with vanilla custard. Leftovers can be covered and stored in the refrigerator and then simply reheated the next day.

Other peach recipes you may want to try are this Peach Cobbler, or this Peach Tart,.

Peach Cobbler: Dip the peaches into a large pot of boiling water for about 30 - 60 seconds, depending on the ripeness of the peaches. Transfer the fruit to a large bowl of ice water (this stops the cooking process). The skins should now slip easily off the peaches. Cut the peaches in half, remove the stones, and cut the fruit into thick wedges. Place the wedges in a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice to stop discoloration. Add the raspberries.

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and ground cinnamon. Sprinkle this mixture over the fruit and toss gently to combine. Transfer to a 9 inch (23 cm) deep dish pie plate or an 8 x 8 x 2 inch (20 x 20 x 5 cm) oven proof baking dish. Place the baking dish on a larger baking sheet to catch any drips.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven.

Biscuit Dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Add the milk to the flour mixture. Stir just until combined. Do not over mix. Knead dough gently on a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat the dough into a circle that is about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) thick. Then, using a 1 1/2 inch (4 cm) round cookie cutter, cut the dough into rounds. Gently place the rounds on top of the fruit. Brush the tops of the biscuits with a little cream.

Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes or until the fruit is bubbly and the biscuits are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into a biscuit comes out clean. (If the biscuits are getting too brown during baking, and before the fruit is bubbling, cover loosely with a piece of foil.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

Serve with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Refrigerate leftovers and reheat before serving.

Makes about 6 servings.

Sources:

Bloom, Carole. The International Dictionary of Desserts, Pastries, and Confections. New York: Hearst Books, 1995.

Editors of Cook's Illustrated. Baking Illustrated. America's Test Kitchen. Brookline MA: 2004.

Friberg, Bo. The Professional Pastry Chef (Third Edition). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1996.

Mariani, John F. The Dictionary of American Food & Drink, New Haven and New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1983.

The Moosewood Collective. Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts. Clarkson Potter/Publishers. New York: 1997.

Rombauer, Irma S., Rombauer Becker, Marion & Becker, Ethan. The Joy of Cooking. New York: Scribner, 1997.

Sax, Richard. Classic Home Desserts. Houghton Mifflin Company. New York: 1994.

Peach Cobbler Recipe:

Fruit:

4 - 5 pounds (2 - 2.3 kg) firm ripe peaches

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 cup fresh raspberries (optional)

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

3 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Biscuit Dough:

1 1/3 cup (175 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (57 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup (120 ml) milk or cream

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