Mom’s Peach Cobbler
In the fruit world, my heart belongs to peaches. When I lived in Dallas, in the summer, I’d make a twice-weekly run to the farmer’s market down the street to keep my big blue bowl filled with peaches in varying stages of ripeness, because when they’re in season, you just don’t want to run out if you can help it.
Because my birthday is in July, sometimes my mom makes a peach cobbler instead of cake, which is just fine by me. Don’t get me wrong; I love chocolate cake, and especially my mom’s, but if there are peaches around and a gallon of Blue Bell vanilla bean ice cream, just get outta here, and hand me the spoon. The big one.
My mom surprised me a couple of days ago by making this cobbler. For my birthday, she said, a few weeks early. When the day comes, I’m going to make myself another one, with French peaches, and Italian gelato on the side.
Mom clipped this recipe from The Dallas Morning News in 1987; it’s from City Market.
Peach Cobbler
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Crisco
1 egg
¼ cup ice water
3 pounds peaches (6-8 cups, peeled and sliced)
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup (one stick) butter
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Sift flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add shortening and work until the mixture is crumbly. Whip egg and ice water together, then sprinkle on flour mixture. Form dough into a ball and chill for 30 minutes.
2. Roll half of the dough on wax paper to 1/8-inch thickness. Place in a deep 9 X 13 inch pan or long oval baking dish, covering bottom and up 1/2-inch on sides of pan. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Slice the peaches and combine with lemon and orange juice. In separate bowl, combine sugar cinnamon and cornstarch.
4. Put peaches and butter in a non-aluminum pan and heat until butter is melted, then stir in the sugar mixture. Remove from heat.
5. Roll second half of dough into 1/4-inch thickness and cut into 1/2-inch strips.
6. Pour filling into pan over the baked bottom crust and cover filling with dough strips placed lattice-fashion (X). Brush top with melted butter, then sprinkle sugar on top.
7. Bake 35-40 minutes until top crust is golden brown.
