This past week I committed the cardinal sin of food shopping, the very thing I urge all of my "Cooking Matters" students to avoid.
I went shopping while hungry. Starving actually, if I'm to be totally honest with you all.
While racing from point A to point B last Thursday, I zipped into my farmer's market (with my stomach at full growl) to grab some fresh produce to tide me over for a few days. A sample of a fresh from the tree local peach sent me into full craving mode and rather than buy a single 3 pound box for eating fresh, I decided to pick up two. Like I said, NEVER shop hungry!
As you might imagine, it takes a herculean effort to rip through 6 pounds of fresh preaches before they start to go bad, especially when your kids are all away enjoying varied summer adventures. I made it through one box in-time, but found that I needed to come up with a recipe to use up my second 3 pounds before they all went bad on me.
Enter this lovely peach cobbler that I found in my latest issue of Bon Appetit Magazine. Modified by the addition of some fresh blueberries (I also bought 2 boxes of those and only used 1 stirred into my morning yogurt for breakfast…..I'll say it again, NEVER shop while hungry!), this turned out to be a most delicious way to use up my perfectly ripe fruit before it went bad. Served up still warm with either a dollop of whipped cream or a healthy scoop of a good vanilla ice cream….summer heaven!
Cheers – Steve
Ingredients
for the filling:
- 3 lbs. peaches, nectarines or plums, each cut into 6 wedges
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon kirsch or other fruit brandy (optional)
for the topping:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 1/2 ounces almond paste
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- powdered sugar, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Toss peaches, blueberries, granulated sugar, flour, salt, and kirsch (if using) in a large bowl. Transfer to a 13 x 9" baking dish and set aside.
- Heat the oven to 350 ℉. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, almond paste, and granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend after each addition. Mix in the dry ingredients.
- Dollop drops of batter over the fruit (batter will even out during baking). Sprinkle with almonds. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until topping is golden brown and fruit juices are thick and bubbling, 50-60 minutes.
- Let cobbler sit at least 20 minutes before serving. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.