My First Peach Cobbler

I made my first peach cobbler.  I made my first peach cobbler and it was delicious!  I know, I know, cobbler's are virtually fool proof but I am not a baker.  Baking is an art that I am far from mastering.  I can cook fairly well but as I stated in my previous post, Recipe Rebellion, I tend to get creative halfway through the process.  This does not work well with baking where measurements need to be more precise.  So anytime I actually bake something and it comes out remotely edible, I am very proud of myself.

Now, I know that a peach cobbler seems like an obvious choice for a blog titled, "Your Southern Peach" and I apologize for my apparent lack of creativity.  However, we are in the middle of peach season here in Georgia and it's one of my husband's favorite desserts so I figured I'd give it a shot.

After much time scouring the Internet for the perfect recipe, I finally grabbed my nearby copy of "The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook" by Paula Deen. (I know.  She's an obvious choice too, but hey, the woman can cook and there's no doubt that she is Southern!)  I like Paula's recipes because they're approachable and not pretentious.  At this time in my life, being a mom to two young boys, I'm looking for recipes that are simple yet delectable.  This one fit the bill!  Here it is, straight from the cookbook.

• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 self-rising flour
• 3/4 cup milk
• One 28-ounce can sliced peaches in syrup, undrained (See variations below for fresh peaches)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Put butter in deep baking dish and place in oven to melt.  Mix sugar and flour; add milk slowly to prevent lumping.  Pour over melted butter.  Do not stir.  Spoon fruit on top, gently pouring in syrup.  Still do not stir; batter will rise to top during baking.  Bake 30 to 45 minutes.  Good with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. 


VARIATION:  When available, fresh fruit is wonderful.  You may use fresh blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, cherries, apples, peaches, or pears.  Simply clean, peel, and core 2 cups (Your Southern Peach thinks it should be 3 cups) of fruit and mix with 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water.  In a saucepan, bring mixture to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Stir often, making sure sugar is completely dissolved.  Substitute this for the canned peaches.

Of course I used fresh Georgia peaches rather than canned peaches.  The recipe calls for 2 cups of peaches but next time, I would slice closer to 3 cups total.  The two key factors for success with this recipe are using self-rising flour and not stirring the batter.  The end result was very good!  The crust was more soft and cake-like versus crisp and flaky.  I served it to my husband with low-fat vanilla yogurt and he went back for seconds which is the greatest compliment a cook can receive!  I would love to try some variations of cobbler so if you have a recipe you'd like to share, send it over to me.  There's still six weeks left in peach season and I plan on making the most of it.


Your Southern Peach