DESSERTS

{Baking} CORNMEAL DROP BISCUIT PEACH COBBLER … for times when the mason doesn’t show up!

2010/07/31 / 30 Comments
“There’s your karma ripe as peaches.”
Jack Kerouac

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Even while the hammers rain blows down, and the kitchen is in shambles, I have a list of things to do. A cobbler was on my must bake list before the stone fruit season bid us adieu. It’s been bookmarked ever since I saw it on Leites Culinaria when I stopped by attempting to try and bake a recipe off the site for a photography competition. This cobbler was high on my list, until Monsieur Lebovitz’s Absolute Best Brownies knocked me off my perch!

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Not one to stay knocked off for so long, I was soon winging my way back to my must bake list. We’ve had some minor issues while the kitchen renovation goes on … stuff like minor flooding {never touch the plumbing if it works fine!!}, and then a day with minimal work done when the mason took a rainy day off! For me, minimal work being done was a golden opportunity to get down to baking. If the mason doesn’t show up, it’s cobbler time!

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Cobbler is a traditional dish in both the United States and the United Kingdom, although the meaning of the term is quite different in each country. In the United States, it is usually a dessert consisting of a fruit filling poured into a large baking dish and covered with a rolled pastry dough, then baked in an oven. In the United Kingdom it is usually a savoury meat dish, typically a lamb casserole, which is covered with a savoury scone-like topping, each scone (or biscuit) forming a separable cobbler. Fruit-based versions are also increasingly popular in the United Kingdom, although they still retain the separate cobbler (or biscuit) topping of the meat version, and savoury or meat versions are not unknown in the United States. The Crisp or Crumble differ from the cobbler in that the cobbler’s top layer is more biscuit-like. Grunts, Pandowdy, and Slumps are a New England variety of cobbler, typically cooked on the stove-top or cooker in an iron skillet or pan with the dough on top in the shape of dumplings; they reportedly take their name from the grunting sound they make while cooking.
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Jeanne @ Cooksister had an Apple Pecan Cobbler posted just recently, and I knew the time had come. for me to try the peach cobbler. This was one fruit dessert I hadn’t tried so far.  A fridge full of peaches, a few plums too, soon I had a pie dish full of fruit. I chopped the peaches instead of slicing them, all done in haste, but cobbler I made! It’s not a beautiful thing to photograph, but I took a shot. I love the rustic fruity look the cobbled top offered, somewhat like a mosaic, with colourful fruit and juices peeping through. I threw in some pistachio nuts in the biscuit topping, just to add to the taste and, maybe colour!
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This particular recipe is from the cookbook The Lee Brothers Simple Fresh Southern by Mat & Ted Lee. Very ‘Simple, Fresh and Southern’ as the book title goes, it is a versatile one too. I added a few plums for colour with the peaches. I think like in most cobblers, apples, blackberries, blueberries etc  all work wonderfully under the drop biscuit crust. The fruit juices get cooked and combine with the sugar to form a thick syrup which rises above the biscuit edges to give a cobbled stone like appearance. The cobbler was rustic beautiful and moorish, and full of bursting good flavours.
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I’m glad I made the cobbler. It was delicious and ever so fruity. Mr PAB said, ‘What is this ‘thing’ Deeba? It’s delicious!‘ The daughter said, “I love this mushy, ugly thing. Can I have some more?”, and the son loved it too, especially the biscuit crust {anything with butter is!}. I served it chilled because it’s still summer here and we’d rather have cold dessert than warm. Also, chilling it meant that all the fruit juices thickened up nicely and the flavours matured. Of course, it wasn’t very picture-worthy, but heck… My first cobbler was downright delicious, and is off to the Food Photo Competition @ Leite’s Culinaria!

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Cornmeal Drop-Biscuit Peach Cobbler
Recipe from Matt and Ted Lees book, The Lee Brothers Simple Fresh Southern

Adapted minimally from recipe @ Leites Culinaria
For the peach filling
1 kg ripe peaches, stoned , chopped {or sliced}
3-4 plums, stoned, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar {or more, depending on your peaches and your sweet tooth}
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the biscuit dough
3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 cup fine cornmeal
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup pistachio nuts, shelled
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon iodized salt or fine sea salt
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the baking dish
1/2 cup cold buttermilk {I used low fat}

making
Method:
Preheat oven to 220C. Butter a 9″ pie dish
Place all filling ingredients in a large bowl, and toss to mix well. Allow to stand for ten minutes while you make the drop-biscuit dough
Drop-biscuit dough
Place the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, pistachio nuts and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse for a few seconds till the nuts are chopped fine, and the mixture blended. Add the butter and give 2-3 short pulses till the butter cuts through, and the mixture becomes like coarse meal with pea size bits of butter. Add the buttermilk and stir with a rubber spatula just until a tacky, wet dough comes together, which should take no more than a few seconds.
Gently plop spoonfuls of the biscuit dough on top of the peach filling or, if the dough is too sticky to plop, simply spread it unevenly. The dough should be patchy and should not cover the entire surface of the filling.
Bake until the cobbler’s syrup is bubbly and the biscuit top is alluringly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

1
Scoop the warm cobbler into small dessert bowls, ramekins, even cocktail glasses. Serve warm.

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Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India deeba

Posted by Deeba @ PAB

About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.

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30 Comments

  • Rosa's Yummy Yums

    2010/07/31 at 10:36 am Reply

    A splendid cobbler! So fruity,juicy, crispy and smooth. In one word: perfect!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  • JD in Ireland

    2010/07/31 at 12:22 pm Reply

    I've never tried to make a cobbler, peach or otherwise, but this post of yours has definitely inspired and motivated me. Thanks for sharing!

  • lisaiscooking

    2010/07/31 at 1:26 pm Reply

    I think it is a beautiful thing to photograph–looks delicious! The pistachios in the topping sound great too!

  • Tangled Noodle

    2010/07/31 at 3:16 pm Reply

    Your cobbler looks marvelous! I am partial to sweet versions but your description of the savory kind, traditional in the UK, is something I would love to try!

  • Valentina

    2010/07/31 at 8:36 pm Reply

    Just visiting your blog makes me happy. he photos are so stunning, beautiful light. What a wonderful cobbler. I loved the idea of adding the plums for colour. I have never made a cobbler before. perhaps it should be added to my own list.

  • Amanda

    2010/07/31 at 11:02 pm Reply

    Wow looks fantastic Deeba! We have similar wavelengths today, I just made a cornmeal cake! Haven't posted yet, but it's yummy 🙂 Stumbling!

  • bellini valli

    2010/07/31 at 11:29 pm Reply

    This is a gorgeous way to enjoy fresh peaches Deeba.U was at the farmers market this moring and have 5 pounds of juicy peaches.

  • Shirley @ Kokken69

    2010/08/01 at 12:10 am Reply

    Fresh peaches are not so easy to come by here but all your photos look so beautiful, I will have to go out and hunt down some peaches!

  • UrMomCooks

    2010/08/01 at 12:54 am Reply

    Luv the biscuit topping! So very southern! Just when ya think peaches are over, a recipe like this pops up and it's right back onto the peach wagon for me!!!

  • Chetana Suvarna Ganatra

    2010/08/01 at 3:12 am Reply

    Never baked a cobbler before….wondering whther it is a fancy step sister of the humble peach pie.
    Btw all de best fr ur entry in de competition…
    Also, I hv a blogger award for u in my page, come n collect te much deserved one.

  • Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets

    2010/08/01 at 4:16 am Reply

    This looks delicious and beautiful in the rustic way that cobblers are. Glad you took advantage of this opening to bake even during renovations. Much more dedicated than I'm sure I'd be.

  • Pavithra

    2010/08/01 at 5:22 am Reply

    Wow the looks awesome and the first picture is really stunning..OMG this is making me drool….

  • Honey @ honeyandsoy

    2010/08/01 at 10:49 am Reply

    Hi Deeba! I love your blog! Your pictures are gorgeous… well, because you made the beautiful subjects, of course!

  • Satya

    2010/08/01 at 5:29 pm Reply

    hi deeba,

    first time to your blog…this peach dessert looks so bewitching…baking is one of my favourite recently as i am new to baking..recently i am learning to make baking recipes and u inspire me

    if u get time do visit my blog

    Satya
    http://www.superyummyrecipes.com

  • bunkycooks

    2010/08/01 at 12:37 pm Reply

    This is a beautiful cobbler! I have sooo many peaches right now…I just might have to make my own. I like the addition of cornmeal in this version.

  • Jamie

    2010/08/01 at 1:51 pm Reply

    Oooh I have a favorite recipe for a peach cobbler and have just been putting off making it but you have me drooling and inspired. Just beautifula and it looks delish! I hope that by now that kitchen is done and you are back to normal. I am also counting on seeing pictures of it! AND I count on baking in it with you one day!!! xoxo Thanks for the fab cobbler, sistah!

  • Magic of Spice

    2010/08/02 at 1:12 am Reply

    Beautiful cobbler, I have never had a cobbler prepared this way…looks wonderful:)

  • Sanchita Karmakar

    2010/08/02 at 12:30 pm Reply

    Hi Deeba! I loved your blog..really awesome..:) Glad to follow you 🙂
    Thanks,
    Sanchita.

  • shaz

    2010/08/02 at 1:57 pm Reply

    Lovely and fruityy cobbler, yum. Never made cobbler before even though I often do crumbles. Thanks for the inspiration Deeba. And I love how creative you are with props – even an upside down tile! 🙂

  • Gisela

    2010/08/02 at 5:25 pm Reply

    Never made a peach cobbler, or any cobbler. I'm from Germany and our dessert pies or cakes are very different. But this one looks so delicious, I could just bite into it right now. Add a little whip cream and it's perfect.

  • Avanika [YumsiliciousBakes]

    2010/08/02 at 5:57 pm Reply

    That 'thing' looks delicious!! Yummy. Kudos to you cooking in a barely working kitchen 🙂

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