Cobbling Together a Sweet Peach Treat 🍑🍑🍑

Dan's peach tree yielded plenty of golden globes this year! A lot fell to the ground, too--that low-hanging fruit, plump, ripe and sweet. The squirrels have taken many a bite, and even the two cats next door seem curious.

Dan plans to make preserves this weekend, but meanwhile, I used up aprons full of slightly marred or spotted fruit in this simple Peach Cobbler recipe from Erin McDowell, a high priestess of pie, cake and everything baking. I saw her roll piecrust in person at a Food52 event in NYC. Many cobblers have heavy country biscuit tops but this one has a golden crown of streusel-like crumbs.

Don't let the length of the recipe scare you. It's really easy. I think the secret is ripe peaches.

I loved listening to Simon & Garfunkel on Spotify as I sliced pounds of peaches with a sharp knife, trimming off dents, bruises and skin that was too spotted.

Here is the link to Erin's recipe on finecooking.com, also my top site for all-butter piecrust.

https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/peach-vanilla-cobbler

I tweaked some things here and there--see below--and had enough filling for three shallow dishes. Please see my notes in blue. BTW, to be truthful, I sure do miss baking gooey, rich chocolate-chip cookies, dense cocoa brownies and moist layer and loaf cakes. I do, I do. But I am avoiding that because most contain a lot of sugar and calories and more importantly, I cannot meter out consumption of the sweets. I generally do not overdo it on fruit in any form [unless it's buttery apple cake or glazed lemon tea loaf]. 

I won't lie, we thought it was delicious.

Peach-Vanilla Cobbler
By Erin McDowell June/July 2017 Issue of Fine Cooking Magazine
Servings: 8 to 10

The unusual, crumbly topping for this cobbler completely covers the peach-vanilla filling. Though it looks like streusel, it still has a tender biscuit texture.

Ingredients 
For the topping 
11 oz. (2-1/3 cups) all-purpose flour [I used 2 cups white flour and 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour; I wanted more topping, to cover three pans, though one was a mini pie dish.]
1/2 cup granulated sugar
I threw in about 3 Tbs. light brown sugar, too
1 Tbs. baking powder
3/4 tsp. table salt
4 oz. (8 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2/3 cup heavy cream

For the filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar; more to taste [cut down to 3 Tbs.]
1 Tbs. cornstarch; more as needed
4 lb. ripe peaches, pitted and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices [best part: no peeling, yay!]
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract [I carefully toted my bottle of extract, like the pricey elixir it is, to the Cape and back. But I had turned the cap so tight, I couldn't open it. So I subbed in pure almond extract.]

For assembly and baking 
1 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature

Make the topping In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to combine, 15 to 30 seconds. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pieces no larger than the size of a pea, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a medium bowl. Make a well in the center of the bowl, pour in the cream, and toss well to combine. Gently combine the mixture into a dough, being careful not to overmix (the mixture will form large streusel-like crumbs). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you make the filling. (The biscuit crumb topping can be made up to 1 day ahead; keep covered in the refrigerator.)  I don't have a food processor at the moment. I just used a silicone whisk. It was fine. 

Make the filling
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch (if your fruit is especially juicy, add an additional 1 or 2 tsp. of cornstarch). In a large bowl, toss the peaches with the sugar mixture. Add the vanilla, and toss well to combine.

Assemble and bake the cobbler
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400°F. Butter a shallow 3-quart baking dish (or individual dishes; see tip). Pour the fruit into the prepared dish. Crumble the dough over the fruit in an even layer. Transfer the cobbler to the oven, and bake until the topping is evenly golden and the fruit filling is bubbly in the center of the dish, 30 to 35 minutes. Rotate the cobbler halfway through baking time for even browning. If browning too quickly, reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and tent the baking dish with foil. Let the cobbler cool for at least 45 minutes before serving warm.

© 2019 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Fine Cooking may receive a percentage of sales for items purchased through links.

TCOY

1. Morning support group.
2. Long walk with Sug, down by the creek and over by the Hobbit houses.
3. Tuna on rye with kale leaves, made by Dan.
4. Ordered a side of vegs with dinner.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET

• Parking meter, 35 cents.
• Joyist, the TYNE sourdough toast with goat cheese, sliced apple, walnuts and a drizzle of honey, $8. [Used my free reward-card punch on a nice big bowl for Figgy, with a fresh mango and coconut base, tahini granola, blueberries and more. Looked yum. Might get one tomorrow.]
• La Couronne, old-school/new-school Italian restaurant, picked up food to go and Dan and I watched a movie. Figgy was out. Two entrees, two sides of vegs, bread, plus $3 tip, $66.

TOTAL DAILY SPEND: $74.35.
TOTAL MONTHLY SPEND AS OF AUGUST 17: $2,069.67.

AVERAGE DAILY SPEND FOR MONTH SO FAR: $121.75.

[I added in all Cape and travel days now.]
Punch was on Cape for 10 days with us, but then followed by 10 days with Mimi in North Carolina,
Atlantic City etc. So I should try to bring our bill down until she returns Thursday. It is spiking high with Cape Cod spends.

Hot, big-money spends in August, or how I spent our bread:

🥖 La Couronne, Montclair, dinner to go for Dan and me while watching Saturday night movie, $66.
🥖 Cafe Giotto, Montclair, dinner w Elaine, $53.

🥖Fill gas tank twice on Cape Cod, $46 x 2= $92.
🥖Idle Times bike shop rental for Punch from noon Saturday until 5 p.m. Sunday, $31.
🥖T.J. Maxx, four designer dresses, Adidas sneakers, knock-off lightweight Burberry scarf, Olga bra, Lauren pillow, shorts, etc. etc., $338.

🥖Pizza+/fancyish restaurant dinner with Punch after swimming in pond in Brewster until after 7 p.m., $77.

🥖Mac's Market & Kitchen, lobster, clams, kale salad, mango salsa and other Sunday dinner ingredients, $53.

🥖Brewster bakery, including cookbook I somehow lost, maybe a message from God because it was packed with recipes for sweets, $25.
🥖2 Massachusetts mugs, one for Cape and one for home, $28.
🥖Commando.com, black half-slip, $65.
🥖Arnold's Lobster & Clam Bar, fried clam belly basket plus tip, $30.
🥖Pure Vita, the new CBD [not for me] and natural home care store with essential-oil bar and pretty pineapple throw pillow case for Cape house, votive candles, seaweed/lavender bath sachets, $52.
🥖Stop & Shop, Cape groceries, $29 + $40 + $52=$121.
🥖Lobster roll supper with P. at Adams Lodge in Wellfleet, $32.
🥖Eastham info booth, pink sweatshirt, $30.
🥖Mass Audubon annual family membership, $65.
🥖Sunbird breakfast sandwich w citrus mayonnaise on grilled ciabatta plus expensive coffee beans from, of all places, Portland, Maine, plus tip, $27.

🥖Audubon gift shop, small turtle rug for home; bird gift for Figgy; goat milk body wash; Bee Boss Body Balm, which I love for lips, too; small owl wall calendar for family, with member discount, $88. 
🥖Vineyard Vines, candy-pink gingham skort, orig $98, now on sale for $68.99, plus shipping, $79.
🥖Mac’s Market & Kitchen, lobster, scallops, salmon, lemon, cornbread square, crackers, $49.

COMPARISON SHOPPING. That long Cape Cod vacay in August really drove the numbers up so far.

TOTAL SPEND FOR MONTH OF JULY [STARTING JULY 5; I LOST A FEW DAYS THERE]: $1,610.81. 👛 🎯 ⬇️
JULY AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $59.66!  👛 🎯 ⬇️

TOTAL SPEND FOR MONTH OF MAY: $2,348.24.

MAY AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $75.75. 

TOTAL SPEND FOR MONTH OF APRIL: $3,634.28.

APRIL AVERAGE DAILY SPEND: $121.14.