The peach man at the Saturday market keeps a crate under his table that he doesn't put a sign on. You have to ask. Inside are the peaches with a soft spot, a split, a bird peck, or just a bruise from riding in the truck, and he sells them for a fraction of what the pretty ones cost. This past Saturday I came home with a whole paper sack of them for five dollars, and Lila and I spent the afternoon making cobbler while the ceiling fan pushed the warm air around the kitchen.
Mid-June is when South Carolina peaches really get going, and for a few weeks we eat them every way we can think of. But I've also made this cobbler in January with frozen peaches, and in a pinch with canned ones. It's a forgiving recipe. That's what I love about it.
Ingredients (serves 8, about $7.50 with market seconds)
For the peaches
- 5 to 6 cups sliced peaches, about 3 pounds whole (about $5 for seconds)
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar, depending on the peaches
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg
For the batter
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter (about $1)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk (about $0.40)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Steps
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Put the stick of butter in a 9x13 baking dish and slide it into the oven while it heats, so the butter melts.
- Prepare the peaches. Cut away any bruises or bad spots, then slice. I don't peel; the skins soften in the oven and add color. If you prefer them peeled, drop whole peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds and the skins slip off.
- Toss the peaches with the sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and spices. Let them sit while you make the batter.
- Whisk the batter: flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, then the milk and vanilla, just until smooth.
- Pour the batter over the melted butter in the hot dish. Don't stir.
- Spoon the peaches and their juice evenly over the top. Don't stir this either. The batter rises up around the fruit as it bakes.
- Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until the top is deep golden and the edges are crisp and bubbling.
- Let it rest at least 20 minutes. It thickens as it cools.
Whatever peaches you can get
| Peaches | How to adjust |
|---|---|
| Ripe and sweet | Use 1/3 cup sugar. Taste one first. |
| Hard or underripe | Use 1/2 cup sugar and let them sit 30 minutes with the sugar to soften and release juice. |
| Bruised seconds | Cut away the bad parts generously. Weigh what's left, not what you bought. |
| Frozen | Thaw and drain, saving 1/4 cup juice to add back. Add 5 extra minutes of baking. |
| Canned | Two large cans, drained, packed in juice if you can find them. Cut the sugar in the filling to 2 tablespoons. |
Notes
- Batter-style vs. biscuit-topped: This is the batter kind my grandmother made, where the cake rises up around the fruit. Ben's family made it with biscuit dough dropped on top. Both are correct. Neither family will admit that.
- Too runny? It probably needed more time to rest, or the peaches were very juicy. Next time add another teaspoon of cornstarch.
- Leftovers keep three days in the fridge. Lila eats it cold for breakfast. I allow it during peach season and pretend it's like a fruit muffin.
- Freezing extra peaches: Slice, toss with a little lemon juice, freeze flat on a tray, then bag. I try to put away four or five bags every summer for winter cobblers.
- To serve: Vanilla ice cream, plain cream poured over, or nothing at all.
We ate the first bowls on the back porch after supper, sticky and warm, with ice cream melting into the juice faster than we could eat it. Pepper sat at Ben's feet with a look of deep betrayal. There are four more peaches in the sack on the counter, all a little too soft now. I think they're going in the freezer, so in some gray week in February I can make this again and remember June.
