Peach Cobbler with Whipped Vanilla Cream

I like the sound of few words, for instance - Peaches. 

Weekend groceries got a pound and more of Peaches home. Soon after I bought them, I realized that they would turn gooey ripe soon. Fruits of haphazard groceries, sigh! I wanted to make Poached Peaches paired with ice-cream. I also found a bag of old fashioned Oats which needed to be used. Peach Cobbler was my answer.

Apple Pie was my first trial on American classics and I was pleased. I like Peach Cobbler because the dish requires less labor unlike Apple Pie which wipes me out completely. The other reason is the history behind Peach Cobbler which is quite fascinating. The dish gets its name from the cobbled streets which is one of my favorite texture to walk upon. If you have not walked on cobbled streets, I am telling you it's a different feeling. After baking, the crust of a Cobbler takes the shape of a cobbled street, a bit wobbly and lumpy to form a brilliant design that looks like piece of art. My Cobbler crust looked like earthquake struck cobbled street, but the taste was fab. In hindsight, I think the brown sugar rendered to the crust looking brown and a bit cracked up. I found several recipes online and finally settled on the one below.

While serving, a Cobbler form is more free style so it can be just picked with a ladle and dropped into a dessert bowl like Lasagna (well almost). Cobbler is one dish where the fruit goes in baking dish first and then the crust follows suit. My crust is very light and not very cake like. Best part, you can make a cobbler out of any favorite fruit that bakes well. Peaches, Green Apples are some I've tried so far with satisfactory results. I substituted white sugar with brown sugar for smoky, brown texture and rustic taste. I also added Oats for texture and in hindsight was a brilliant decision because the Cobbler ended up having coarse but soft pudding like texture. I made a small batch, you could double it for a large crowd.

~ Peach Cobbler with Whipped Vanilla Cream ~

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

For Dressing Peaches -

Peaches (peeled, pitted and sliced) - 4

White Sugar  - 1/4 cup

Cinnamon - 1/3 tsp.

Lime juice - 1 tsp.

All Purpose Flour (Alternately, Cornstarch is a better option) - 1 tbsp.

For Cobbler crust -

Old fashioned Oats (powdered) - 1/4 cup

All Purpose Flour - 1/4 cup

Brown Sugar - 1/4 cup 

Baking powder - 1 tsp. 

Unsalted Butter (cold stick, cubed and added to mixture) - 4 tbsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp.

Vanilla Cream -

Cream - 1/2 cup

Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Sugar - 4 tsp.

For Garnish - 

Brown Sugar (to be sprinkled before baking) - 1 tbsp.

Contraption needed - 

8" Baking dish

Pastry Blender (optional)

Method:

1. Dressing the Peaches - Rinse and pat dry the Peaches. Peel with a vegetable peeler and remove the pit. Slice into wedges. In a mixing bowl add the sliced Peaches, white sugar, cinnamon and lime juice. Give a good toss. Leave aside for 5 minutes. Once the juices ooze out, add APF and toss to coat all the slices.

2. Cobbler Crust - In another mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients first. Once done, add the cubed cold butter and blend the mixture to form a crumbly consistency. Use a pastry blender or your finger tips just the way I did.

3. Whipped Vanilla Cream - In a small mixing bowl, whisk cream with sugar and vanilla essence for at least 10 minutes till you get stiff peaks. It takes time but hand whisker also gives the same result. Use a stand mixer if you have one and whisk till you get stiff peaks. 

4. Assembly - Preheat the oven to 425 F. In a 8" metal cake dish, add the dressed Peaches to form an even layer. Add little water to the Cobbler crust mix to form a gooey paste. Spoon each dollop at a time to form a cob like structure over the Peaches. Finally, sprinkle Brown sugar over it and cover with a foil. Bake for 20 minutes with the foil covered and for 10 minutes toward the end without foil for crust formation. Allow to cool. Serve warm in a dessert bowl with whipped vanilla cream dunked on top. The crust would appear like cobbled streets, uneven and lumpy. Add assorted nuts and dry fruits of choice for accent (I used dried Cranberries). Refrigerate and reheat the next day before use.

Note: If you use brown sugar, your crust will be brown to dark brown. Do not use ripe Peaches, it will spoil the dish. Use the ones which are non-ripe and firm in texture. For dressing Peaches, I used APF since I did not have Cornstarch. If you have Cornstarch, use it instead of APF to thicken the sauce.