August is National Peach Month, and there’s no better way to celebrate than by cooking with the seasonal stone fruit. If you don’t have the patience to bake a peach cake or pie this summer, try this fast, fuss-free recipe for peach cobbler from the Institute of Culinary Education.
Instead of a proper pie crust, this dessert gets its crunch from a rustic drop biscuit topping. Drop biscuits are exactly what they sound like: The basic dough is formed with a spoon or your hands and dropped in crude dollops. The result is a homey cobbler that’s as easy to make as it is to eat.
“It’s so easy and so quick,” Roger Sitrin, lead recreational chef-instructor for ICE, tells Mental Floss. “It’s a very versatile recipe.”
To prepare it, start by tossing sliced peaches together with sugar and salt in a large bowl. Set that aside while you make your biscuit topping. “These are cream biscuits, and what’s nice about it is that you don’t have to cut any fat into the flour before making the biscuits,” Sitrin instructs. Instead of cutting in cold butter or lard, gradually stir in heavy cream into the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) until the dough comes together.
Transfer the peaches to a greased baking dish and drop the dough in slightly uneven lumps on top of the fruit, either with a spoon or your hands. It’s fine if the cobbler isn’t totally covered—you want some openings for the peach juice to seep through.
Brush the topping with melted butter, sprinkle it with sugar, and pop the whole pan into a 425° F oven. After 20 to 30 minutes, it should be bubbly and golden brown.
The Institute of Culinary education offers courses on a variety of topics out of its New York and Los Angeles campuses. If you’re interested in learning more about the culinary arts, pastry arts, or hospitality and hotel management, you can check out their full course curricula online.
Peach Cobbler
Yield: 8 servings
4 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon melted butter (optional for the tops of the biscuits, plus more for greasing pan)
2 tablespoons Demerara sugar
- Preheat the oven to 425° F. Butter an 8 x 8 baking dish.
- In a large bowl, toss the sliced peaches with sugar and a pinch of salt, and set aside while making the biscuit topping.
- To start the topping, first sift the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder together.
- Begin stirring in the cream, starting with 3/4 of a cup and adding more just until you have a workable dough that does not crumble.
- Place peaches in buttered baking dish and drop the biscuit topping on a little at a time until the top is completely covered. Don’t pat down the dough. It should be slightly uneven.
- Brush the top with melted butter and sprinkle with Demerara sugar.
- Bake in a 425°F oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
This article was originally published on www.mentalfloss.com as Don’t Let Peach Season Pass Without Making This Rustic Cobbler.
