Peach Melba Cobbler: Simple American Dessert with a French Touch

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Summer desserts are meant to celebrate the season. Fruit pies, cobblers, buckles and crisps are made for the glorious sweet fruits of summer. These casual yet intensely satisfying fruit desserts depend upon the best seasonal fruits, usually topped with a cake, streusel or both.

A cobbler by definition is a fruit mixture with a biscuit-style dough cooked on top of it. The biscuit dough is easy to put together and is a great alternative for pastry-phobic cooks. Partially cooking the filling prior to adding the cobbler dough helps the dough cook evenly.

I have to admit that I am partial to this French-influenced summer fruit cobbler. I developed this recipe for my husband, who loves the classic "Peche Melba" -- a favorite French bistro dessert which is usually served in a glass ice cream dish filled with vanilla ice cream, poached peach halves and drizzled with a ruby red raspberry sauce.

You can personalize this recipe to include your favorite seasonal fruits, such as nectarines, plums, blackberries or boysenberries. Just make sure to add enough sugar to sweeten the fruit you are using. I have added my own twist of toasted almonds to the dough to complement the fruit. This is easy to assemble, with crowd-pleasing results. An extra mark in its favor is that it is easy to transport, making it is an excellent selection for a summer picnic dessert.

Peach Melba Cobbler

Serves 6-8

6 large or 10 medium peaches (about 10 cups), cut into 1-inch pieces

3 cups raspberries (three 6-ounce baskets)

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Dough:

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 large egg

2 tablespoons sliced almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Butter and flour a 9x13-inch baking dish.

2. Prepare the filling: Combine the fruit, sugar, lemon zest and flour in a bowl and mix well to combine. Spoon the mixture into the prepared dish. The fruit should come up to 1/4-inch from the top. (Save room for the cobbler dough.) Place the dish on a baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the 1/2 cup of almonds on a baking sheet and toast for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant. Let cool. Transfer to a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until finely ground.

4. Prepare the dough: In a medium mixing bowl combine the ground almonds, flour, 5 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in the butter with your fingers or two forks until it resembles the size of small peas. In a small bowl combine the buttermilk, vanilla, almond extract and egg, and whisk to combine. Pour it into the center of the dough mixture and mix to combine with a wooden spoon. The dough will be sticky.

5. When the fruit has cooked for 20 minutes, remove it from the oven. Use an ice cream scooper to drop the dough onto the hot fruit. You can spread out the dough and make it as even as you like. The more uneven the dough, the more cobbled the dough will look. Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of sugar and the sliced almonds over the dough and return the cobbler to the oven for about 20 more minutes or until it is golden brown and the dough is cooked through. Let cool for 30 minutes, and serve with French vanilla ice cream. The cobbler is best served warm.

Advance Preparation: May be prepared up to 8 hours ahead and kept at room temperature. Serve room temperature or reheat in a 350 F oven for 10-15 minutes.

 

Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks (click here), including "Seriously Simple Holidays: Recipes and Ideas to Celebrate the Season," and also a James Beard award-winning radio show host.

 

Twitter: @ihavenet

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Copyright © 2011, Diane Rossen Worthington. Distributed by Tribune Media Services Inc.