24 Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler

Walking down the row of trees, the heavy smell of ripe peaches mixes in with the fermenting smell of fallen fruit, filling the air with a kind of sour sweetness that isn't necessarily unpleasant.  The yellow jackets and wasps buzz between the squashed fruit, while the honeybees stick to the clover.  My mom is a few trees down and I watch her pick each sunset hued fruit from the tree, trying to memorize the moment forever.  I go under the first branches to the middle of the tree and look up through the leggy branches to the sky.  A good one catches my eye and I strain my reach up to pick it.  I love the soft fuzz of the peel and brush it against my own cheek.  Still warm from the sun I decide to eat this one, it's just too perfect in this moment.  The juice is the first thing I get when I take a bit, running down my chin and then the taste of the ripe fruit.

Our cardboard boxes are starting to get heavy but my heart isn't ready to leave this place.  So I ask my mom if she would mind just sitting in the field for a little bit.  It's early and the other pickers are scattered throughout the rows so we wouldn't be in the way.  After finding a good spot in the grass we sit together, lost in our own thoughts.  Taking in the warm sun, watching the bugs move about the fields, listening to the birds rustle in the woods on the other side of the orchard, we both sit and enjoy the world around us.  Suddenly a peach drops from the tree with a surprising "thump".  I look at my mom and she looks at me and we just laugh.  It feels like a magical moment.  Part of me could sit there forever, but another group of pickers is heading down the row so we say goodbye to our little paradise and head to the car.  I will never ever forget this day, it's one of the best memories of my mom that I have and it sits warmly in my heart.  


Old Fashioned Peach Cobbler

It's such a simple recipe, but I feel like everyone needs a good cobbler recipe in their line up.  To be honest I enjoy peaches just as regular old peaches, but if I'm in the mood for something a little more desserty this is where I turn.  My favorite thing about this is it only has 2 Tablespoons of sugar in the entire thing.  The natural sweetness of ripe peaches is all it needs.

(Adapted from Joy of Cooking, Serves 4)

3 large Peaches, peeled and sliced
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
5 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Fresh Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tablespoon confectioner's sugar

1.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  In a bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
2.  Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3.  Add the heavy cream and mix just until the batter comes together.  Don't over mix.
4.  Spray your baking pan (a glass, cast iron, earthenware cake or pie pan are recommended 8x8, 9x9, or round) with cooking spray or lightly butter it.
5.  Put your sliced and peeled peaches in the bottom in an pretty even layer.  Sprinkle the cinnamon evenly over the top of the peaches.
6.  Use your hands to scoop up the dough and shape into a ball.  It's going to be extremely sticky!  I tried to make a lattice design, but the dough was just too messy.  Just go for the classic homemade look, by breaking off small pieces of dough, rolling them into balls, flatten them slightly and place over the fruit.  Or if you can roll it out using some flour to help with the stickiness, cut into circles with a biscuit cutter and lay over the top.
7.  Bake for 40 - 45 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
8.  In a mixer with the whisk attachment, add the heavy whipping cream and whip at high speed until you get soft peaks.  Add the confectioners sugar and whip just a minute more to incorporate it in.  

Enjoy!