Peach Raspberry Cobbler
Father’s Day is just around the corner and dad would go crazy for an amazing dessert like this to help celebrate his special day. I think the whole family could have a hand in putting this together for dear old dad!!! ~Tara
Peach Raspberry Cobbler
JUNE 11, 2014 BY LIZ BERG
I discovered the sublime pairing of peaches and raspberries nearly 2 decades ago. I often whip up a peach crisp for a quick dessert, and one day, I tossed in half pint of the jewel-toned berries along with the peaches. Besides being dazzled by the lovely pinkish hue taken on by the juices, the taste was exquisite. Since that day many summers ago, I’ve made numerous peach raspberry crisps and pies, but never a cobbler. I had no doubt my family would give this peach raspberry cobbler their hearty approval. AND it’s so much easier than making a pie.
The Process
The cobbler filling was pretty basic…sliced fruit and berries were combined with sugar and a thickener. In this case, I added cornstarch. A bit of vanilla extract flavored the filling, but cinnamon would work well, too.
The biscuit topping was made with butter and a bit of shortening. The butter added that unique rich flavor that margarine or shortening can’t replicate. A couple tablespoons of shortening, though, helped make the cobbled topping extra tender and flaky. I used milk to make the dough, but you can easily substitute cream if you like a denser biscuit. Cream = More Fat. It can’t be bad, can it? You can use the food processor to make your biscuit dough, just don’t over pulse after you add the liquid. A pastry blender works well, too, if you’re like me and don’t like the hassle of washing your food processor. But earlier this month, I was in a Google+ Hangout with cookbook author, Dorie Greenspan, and she recommended using your hands. I took the liberty of grating the cold butter instead of cutting it into cubes and then followed Dorie’s advice. All you need to do is break up the pieces of shortening by rubbing them between your fingers in the flour mixture. Easy as pie…no, easy as cobbler! Like all biscuit dough, the goal was to have small pieces of fat interspersed throughout the dough. Besides having messy fingers, my hands worked perfectly as a blending tool.
Here’s a little cooking chemistry for you. When the topping hits the heat of the oven, the water in the butter produces steam and, along with the baking powder, helps the biscuits rise. So you need visible pieces of butter to get the lightest, flakiest biscuits. And having your butter and shortening very cold is another key to light biscuits. If the fats warm up, there won’t be as much steamed produced…and therefore, less lift in the baking process.
Like with any crisp, cobbler or fruit pie, I find it hard not to add a scoop of vanilla ice cream…or in this case, I had some homemade marshmallow ice cream in the freezer. Cold and creamy, it complemented the warm fruit and tender crust. I think you’ll all adore this summer peach raspberry cobbler.
The Recipe
Peach Raspberry Cobbler
Ingredients
Filling:
• 4 cups sliced peaches (peel peaches, remove pit and cut into thick slices)
• 1 1/2 cups raspberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Topping:
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 7 tablespoons cold butter
• 2 tablespoons cold shortening, cut into small cubes
• 9 tablespoons milk
Instructions
1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Grate butter into the dry ingredients and add shortening cubes. With hands or a pastry blender, cut the butter and shortening into the dry ingredients till the mixture resembles corn meal. Add the milk and toss with a fork till well combined. Pour onto a floured surface and knead a few times till the mixture comes together. Wrap in plastic and place in refrigerator while making filling.
2. Preheat oven to 375º.
3. In a large bowl, toss peaches with sugar, cornstarch and vanilla. Pour into a greased 8 x 8-inch (or 2 quart) baking dish. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough and drop over the fruit topping. Dust with remaining tablespoon of sugar.
4. Bake 45-55 minutes or till topping is browned and filling is bubbly. Cool slightly and serve with vanilla ice cream.
Yield: 6 servings
Total time: 1 1/2 hours
ABOUT LIZ: My mom was an amazing cook, but she wasn’t much of a baker. When my sisters and I yearned for a sweet treat, I turned to our trusty BH&G cookbook and zeroed in on the dessert tabs. My love of baking began in my childhood kitchen. I married a chocoholic and together we had 3 children with plenty of sweet teeth. I started my blog in 2010 to chronicle my baking journey.
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