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The Kitchn: How to make easy peach cobbler with fresh summer peaches

By Patty Catalano, TheKitchn.com on

Summer starts early in Georgia, so by the time the peaches hit the farmers market we’re already knee-deep in sunscreen and fireflies. And thank goodness for their arrival. As the humid summer heat intensifies, the bounty of the ripe, juicy fruit is the very best form of relief.

While there’s no wrong way to eat a peach — raw with the juices dripping down our chins is a personal family favorite — summer simply cannot pass without baking peaches into a sweet Southern cobbler. Fresh summer peaches are so ripe and sweet that they need little more than to be sliced and covered with a pillowy cream biscuit topping.

Smart shortcuts

1. There’s no need to peel the peaches. If you dig into a spoonful of traditional peach cobbler, you’re likely to find the stone fruit slices sans their outer layer. But tender peach peels are difficult to remove with a traditional peeler, and so the tedious task is often done by dunking the peaches into boiling water and then an ice bath, or with a serrated peeler. Leaving the peel intact streamlines the steps and makes this one of the easiest summer desserts. The blush peach skin also adds flavor and a rosy hue to the cobbler’s filling.

2. Top with easy cream biscuits. Some cobblers are latticed with strips of pie dough, but the best topping for a Southern peach cobbler has to be the cream biscuit. Cream biscuits are made with full-fat heavy cream rather than a combination of butter and buttermilk. Stirred together quick bread-style and portioned with an ice cream scoop, this cobbler topping bakes up golden-brown and tender.

Putting together fresh peach filling

 

A peach cobbler is all about the fresh fruit — three pounds of ripe peaches, to be exact. The freshly cut fruit may form a mound above the rim of the baking dish, but it will collapse and concentrate as it bakes. It takes little more than a sprinkle of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract to let the natural sweetness of in-season peaches shine. Freshly squeezed lemon juice balances the fruit, adding the spark of acidity that makes you want another spoonful, while cornstarch thickens the natural juices into a luscious, bubbling sauce.

Making the biscuit topping

Southern biscuits rely on butter, buttermilk and a light-handed technique for their tender and flaky layers. Cream biscuits are a simpler cousin, relying on full-fat heavy cream instead of butter and buttermilk. Like other quick breads, the dry ingredients, including flour, salt, sugar, and leavening, are whisked together first before stirring in the cream and forming a wet dough. Use an ice cream scoop to portion the dough evenly across the cobbler. Sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar to give the lightly sweetened cream biscuits a golden crust.

Easy Peach Cobbler

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