Peach Cobbler

Some flavors and dishes are so thoroughly intertwined with a place and a moment that they all become one. That happened for me back in the Sixties when my red-headed Grandma Gladys piled all of her willing grandchildren into her pointy-tail Cadillac and headed south from Oklahoma City toward Ardmore to pick peaches (two hours, one stop at Stuckeys). We climbed homemade ladders, hung the handles of ¼ bushel baskets on top of the rails, and began the choosing process. Only blushing golden globes, no green at the stem. Mouth-watering aroma, but no soft spots. Not too many in the basket or the bottom ones will get crushed.

A dizzying giddiness overtook me up there in the tree, shaded from the blistering Oklahoma sun, breathing air so saturated with peach perfume. It was the same perfume that permeated the car on the trip back, and Grandma’s house over the next few days as we captured the summer’s essence in jars of peach jam, peach butter, pickled peaches and peach halves canned in light syrup. There were more jars of peach halves than anything else, because peaches had come to anchor our family meals. Peaches in an envelope of tender pastry. Peaches in a deep-dish, double-crusted cobbler.

Serves 10 generously.

Ingredients

FOR THE DOUGH

  • 2 2/3 cups (13 ounces) all-purpose flour

  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder

  • Salt

  • 8 ounces (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into ½-inch pieces

  • Two 3-ounce packages chilled cream cheese, cut into ½-inch pieces

  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar3 tablespoons cold tap water

FOR THE FILLING

  • 5 pounds ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and cut into 1-inch chunks (you’ll need about 6 cups)

  • 1 to 1 ¼ cups sugar, plus a little extra for sprinkling over lattice crust

  • 5 tablespoons cornstarch

  • A generous ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

  • 1 ½ tablespoons lemon or lime juice

  • Salt

  • A little milk, for brushing over crust

  • 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Cooking Instructions

MAKING COBBLER CRUST

Measure flour, baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt into food processor. Cut 8 ounces butter and cream cheese into small pieces. Add to the processor.  Attach lid and pulse 6 or 7 times (1 second pulses), until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Uncover and evenly drizzle vinegar and water over mixture.  Attach lid and pulse about 6 times until mixture begins to clump together—it won’t form a ball. Uncover and turn dough out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap.  Press pieces of dough together, gather plastic wrap over top, then flatten into a 10x10-inch square. Refrigerate 1 hour.

PREPARING FILLING

In a large bowl, mix together peaches, sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg, lemon or lime juice and ½ teaspoon salt.

ASSEMBLING COBBLER

Adjust shelf to middle of oven and turn on to 400º. Remove dough from refrigerator. Unwrap and, using a knife, cut off 1/3 of dough. Re-wrap and refrigerate “1/3” piece. Evenly flour work surface and remaining 2/3 of dough. With rolling pin, roll into an 18x14-inch rectangle. Drape into a 13x9-inch glass baking dish, easing dough all the way into corners and allowing a little to hang over top rim of dish. (If kitchen is hot, refrigerate dough-lined baking dish.) Re-flour work surface and evenly flour remaining 1/3 of dough. Roll into 14x10-inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise into 10 1-inch strips. Brush top edge of overhanging dough with a light coating of milk—just enough to make it sticky. Pour fruit mixture in pan. Cut 2 tablespoons butter into bits. Dot over filling. Lay 4 strips of dough at even intervals lengthwise over fruit. Lay the remaining strips of dough at even intervals crosswise over fruit, creating a lattice. Use fork to seal strips to moistened edges. Trim off any overhanging dough. Brush lattice with milk. Sprinkle with a little sugar.

BAKING COBBLER

Bake 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350º and bake 30 to 40 minutes longer, until fruit mixture is thick and bubbling and crust is browned. Cool 10 minutes before serving, or cool completely and rewarm.