Yes, Roasted Peach Cobbler. I’ll explain how I got there.
Our cling peach tree is overloaded with ripe fruit and the freestone peaches are not far behind.
On Sunday I picked a bowl of peaches and found what sounded like a great cobbler recipe online.
Unfortunately, it was a miss. It was too sweet, the fruit layer was swimming in thin peach juice, and the topping was runny and unbaked where it met the peaches. We tasted it, but that was about all. It went in the garbage. I don’t take culinary defeat lightly, so I plotted in my head how to make the recipe work. The shop is closed today so I had the time and a plan.
The biggest fail the first time was the overwhelming juice. I think part of that might have been caused by blanching the peaches in boiling water to make them easier to peel. Today I peeled the peaches without blanching them. They were very ripe so still very juicy. (If you have fruit trees and you don’t have one of these fruit pickers, get one straight away! I can pluck fruit from the tops of the trees with this thing.)
Part 2 of my plan to tame the juice was to roast the sliced peaches in the oven with a little sugar sprinkled over the top. The idea was to let the juices reduce and thicken via evaporation in the convection oven. It worked precisely as planned! I tossed the peaches with cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice (to prevent browning) before roasting them. The juice reduced down to the thick syrup, the peaches took on the cinnamon and nutmeg flavor and cooked without getting mushy. Quite honestly, I could have eaten them all straight off the baking sheet and never made the cobbler. In fact, they would be delicious roasted like this then topped with vanilla ice cream. But that is for another day. Today was about Cobbler Redemption.
I made the cobbler batter, put it on top of the peaches in a pie pan and baked it, all the while holding my breath. No need. This time it came out perfectly. The cobbler was baked through and the peaches were sweet and juicy without all the liquid.
And there you have it. Roasted Peach Cobbler!
Ingredients
- For the peaches:
- 2.5 to 3 cups sliced peaches (fresh is best)
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg (optional)
- For the batter:
- ½ cup butter (softened)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 large egg (slightly beaten)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use convection if you have it. Peel and slice the peaches and place in a bowl. Toss with the lemon juice and pour out onto a large ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle the 3 tablespoons sugar over the top, followed by the cinnamon and nutmeg. Place the baking sheet, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven and roast until the peaches are soft (but not mushy) and the juice has thickened,approximately 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, Using a spatula, remove the peaches and juice and place them in a 10" regular or 9" deep dish pie pan. Allow to cool while you make the cobbler batter.
- In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the 1 cup sugar and softened butter together until creamy. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix. Then add one slightly beaten egg and vanilla and beat just until combined. (Batter will be thick)
- Dot the top of the peaches with small dollops of batter, covering most of the peaches.
- Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let stand to cool before serving. Garnish with whipped cream or serve with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
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