Peach and Blueberry Cornmeal Crusted Cobbler

Ah, cobbler. One of my first, and favorite, summertime food memories.

First and favorite, because you see, my mom’s family is from the South. And there are few things southerners enjoy like fresh fruit covered with tasty biscuit dough–aka cobbler. Okay, maybe they enjoy stuff fried in bacon grease more, but trust me, cobbler is WAAAAY up there on the list.

As a result, there was rarely a summertime gathering in my childhood where a cobbler didn’t make an appearance. Our family was particularly fond of peaches, so it was often peaches with a Bisquick top. Just cut them up, add some cinnamon, a quick drop top and it was instant summer!

Hot dogs, potato salad, slip’n'slides, sprinklers and cobbler. Summertime–oh my!

I can feel the sticky from the cobbler on my arm and the cuts and stuck-on grass from one too many trips on down the slip’n'slide. My hair is a crazy mess with barrettes. Must be summertime!

So is it any surprise that when the food restrictions were lifted I went straight for this cobbler, with all the memories it triggers? Absolutely not, especially since it has cornmeal biscuits on top. And you know, cornbread, ain’t nothing wrong with that!

Peach and Blueberry Cornmeal Crusted Cobbler
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

This deliciousness hadn’t been in the oven for 10 minutes before I knew it was going to be a stellar, knock it out of the ballpark, one of my favorite things ever, hit. And I would be lying if I didn’t admit to having two servings the night I served it for dessert, and then two servings the next day too. And did I mention I’m making it again this weekend? Oh yeah. I’ve doubled Deb’s recipe for cornmeal biscuits, because you can never have enough biscuit top.

Ingredients:

For the fruit
1 1/2 (about 4 cups) pounds peaches, pitted and cut into slices
1 pint (about 2 cups) blueberries, rinsed and dried
2/3 cup packed dark-brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the biscuit topping
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine stone-ground cornmeal (yellow or white)
6 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup milk with 1 tablespoon vinegar

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place peaches and blueberries in a large shallow dish, the add sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt and stir gently (or use your hand to mix) until the fruit is well coated.

Make the biscuit dough: Stir together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into the dry mixture with your fingertips, a fork or a pastry blender. Stir in buttermilk with a rubber spatula until a wet, tacky dough comes together.

Plop spoonfuls of the biscuit dough over the filling (I used a cookie scoop and it worked great). Bake until the cobbler’s syrup is bubbly and the biscuit tops are browned, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly then serve, or cool completely and reheat before serving.

But who am I kidding, I ate it cold too!

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