Cooking Lesson #899: Grilled Peach Cobbler

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? Summertime is peach time, and I can’t think of a better after barbecue dessert than Grilled Peach Cobbler. 
 
In general Cobblers are a Southern classic dessert category and fresh peaches are in season right now.
 
Cobblers are sort of a free-form dessert, as variable as the home kitchens that create them. There’s no messing around with making and rolling doughs for pies. You’ll find that you can top them with everything from lattice pie crusts to sweet and crunchy Dutch crumble to buttery biscuit blobs.
 
Scooping biscuits is about the easiest solution and I love my scooped recipe with a fun twist—topped with buttermilk cornmeal biscuits. They’re mixed up in a bowl, and then scooped into a cast-iron pan with the peaches before baking.
 
So simple: two dishes, no kneading, no folding, no mess and no real culinary talent required. The biscuits bake up super fluffy and flavorful with a buttermilk tang, a nutty butter bite and, of course, the corn. Those savory layers are wonderful with the spicy-sweet filling of grilled summer peaches, sweet cream butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom.
 
Perfect for friends and family, this is a scoop-yourself-dish, served warm from the cast iron skillet right from an oven, or the grill of your barbecue. Of course, no cobbler would be complete without heaping scoops of vanilla ice cream.
 
Prep time:  50 minutes+
Grill time: 3 minutes (for the peaches)
Bake time:  45 minutes+
Cool time:  10 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
 
Ingredients 
2 pounds fresh peaches, sliced
vegetable oil (to prep the peaches for the grill)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine cornmeal
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup buttermilk
2 pints vanilla ice cream, for serving
 
Directions

​To make the cobbler filling

1. Preheat an oven to 400° F.
2. Thick slice the peaches and remove the stone (pit).
3. Lightly brush each slice with a little vegetable oil and place the slice on a hot grill long enough to get grill marks, about 3 minutes. Remove the peach slices from the grill.
4. In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat, add the peaches, tossing gently until they begin to release their juices, 4 to 6 minutes.
5. Dice 1/4 cup unsalted butter and scatter over the peaches.
6. Cook, stirring continuously, until the butter has melted, 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Stir in the light brown sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt and continue cooking until the sugar has dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes more.
8. In a small bowl, whisk together the water and cornstarch to create a slurry, then stir it into the peach mixture. Remove the skillet from the heat.

To make the biscuit batter

1. Melt the remaining 1/2 cup unsalted butter. Set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornmeal, baking powder, granulated sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
3. Whisk in the buttermilk and the melted butter until combined.
4. Using a large spoon, plop the batter over the top of the peach filling.
5. Place the skillet on a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to the oven.
6. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the biscuit tops are golden brown in color and the filling is bubbling.
7. Transfer the pan of cobbler to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.
8. Top with scoops of vanilla ice cream.

ChefSecret:  I like the enhanced flavor of the grilled peaches especially if the cobbler is a dessert following a meal of barbecue meats.  It makes a subtle difference, but it’s worth the effort.  If you decide to use canned peaches, skip this step and drain the peaches.

Quip of the Day:  I'm on a seafood diet. I see food and I eat it.
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#Dessert #Baking #Cobbler #Peaches #GrilledPeaches #VanillaIceCream #2024Recipes #T2T #URM #FeedingAmerica #RedCross #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup  
 
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