Peaches

There are two mystically wonderful things about summer:
1. Fresh vegetables.
2. Fresh fruit.

In the beginning of the summer, Bob White Acres, just a few miles from where I live, had strawberries. Alex and I went and picked our own and had a grand time. I made fresh strawberry ice cream with that batch.

Upon my return, we decided to go peach picking. This was not as simple as it sounds, you see, because Alex and I may be illiterate. Or ignorant to signs. Take your pick.

On our fourth trip to the peach orchard, we picked peaches. I had already planned on a cobbler, so we gathered about a dozen (more than we needed). It cost $3.22. Alex photographed me giving thanks to God for peaches.

This is why I love summer. I could do without the beach, without the excess amounts of free time, certainly without Musikfest, but not without fresh fruits and vegetables direct from the growers.

We had a peach cobbler party that very evening. We used this recipe from a back-issue of Gourmet. The original includes raspberries, but not having enough time to pick them from Alex's backyard, we went ahead and skipped them. The results were delicious.

Cody and Alex's Jesus-Approved Peach Cobbler

Ingredients
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups plus 1 teaspoon sugar
3 1/2 lb peaches (1o medium), peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Mix sliced and peeled peaches with sugar and cornstarch in a 9x12 baking dish. It is okay to use your hands. I did.
3. Toss in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until bubbling. Be sure to mix them around if pieces of peach on top look dry.
4. While the peaches cook, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk in a medium size bowl.
5. Dice your butter and mix it into the flour with your fingers until the flour resembles coarse meal (whatever that is).
6. Add milk and mix, but not too much! Don't screw with the gluten.
7. Remove fruit from oven and spoon about 12 mounds of dough over the fruit. Bake another 25-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

Alex and I discussed how easy this would be to make vegan. In fact, we even used margarine in this recipe for the simple fact that it was cheaper.

We also discussed adding some honey to the biscuit dough. We will test that theory next week.