Peaches, peaches and more peaches!
by Chef Deb Traylor
Beautiful Colorado peaches are everywhere right now, so we thought we’d better bring you two of our favorite ways to make the most of sweet, juicy Palisade peaches while the season is in full swing.
There are many, many types of cobbler recipes, but today we’re offering one with full fruit on the bottom and a slightly sweet buttermilk biscuit on top. On the days I want a higher ratio of fruit to biscuit, which is most days, this recipe hits the mark.
The recipe is made in two parts, first the filling is cooked slightly in the oven and the sweet biscuits are par-baked briefly on a sheet pan on their own. This eliminates the chance of doughy, uncooked biscuit next to the fruit and instead creates a nice pillow of tender biscuit to soak up the sweet juices.
Next, we have Peach No Churn Ice Cream bringing loads of peach flavor with a combination of peach purée, chopped fresh peaches and a splash of peach liqueur. No ice cream machine is necessary, really! The peach liqueur prevents ice crystals from forming and the combination of condensed milk and whipped cream provides rich, velvety texture. Note: You can also use this no-churn recipe with other fresh summer fruit and liqueur pairings like strawberries and Cointreau, blueberries and Grand Marnier, cherries and brandy, etc.)
We’ll have all kinds of peach dishes on the menu at Ginger and Baker next summer, but in the meantime, pick up some peaches at your farmers market or a roadside stand and then give one of these recipes a try!
Peach Cobbler
Serves 8
- 3 pounds (6-8) peaches, peeled or unpeeled, pitted and sliced into 8 sections
- 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the peaches, cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a large bowl until combined. Transfer the peach filling into a sprayed deep dish pie pan and place on a parchment or foil lined (for easy clean up) sheet pan, and set aside. Bake 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, make biscuit topping.
Biscuit Topping
- 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour (see Notes)
- 6 Tbsp. sugar, divided
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 3/4 cup chilled buttermilk
Whisk flour, 4 tablespoons sugar and baking soda in a medium bowl until combined. In a small bowl whisk together chilled buttermilk and cooled butter, until butter forms small clumps.
Using a rubber spatula, fold buttermilk mixture into flour mixture and stir just until dough pulls away from bowl.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a ¼-cup cookie scoop or cup measure to portion out 8 mounds of dough, and space them 1-1/2 inches apart. Sprinkle tops of biscuits with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.
Once biscuits have par baked, place them gently on top of precooked fruit filling and return pie pan to oven and bake cobbler until the biscuits are nicely golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Allow cobbler to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- feel free to substitute 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract in place of the vanilla extract.
- if using self-rising flour, make sure it’s less than 6 months old or it should be replaced. If you are making your own self-rising flour, make sure your baking powder is less than 9 months old. Both products are affected by moisture in the air, and become less effective with rising over time.
- to make self-rising flour on the fly: Whisk together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Colorado Peach No Churn Ice Cream
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/4 cup peach liqueur (we used local Leopold Brothers Peach Liqueur )
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen peaches, pureed
- 1 cup fresh peaches, chopped
- pinch of sea salt
Combine condensed milk, peach liqueur, salt and 1 cup peach purée and set aside.
In a large bowl or stand mixer beat heavy whipping cream just until stiff peaks form. Gently fold condensed milk mixture into the heaving whipping cream. Gently stir in 3/4 cup of the chopped peaches.
Pour mixture into an air-tight, freezer-safe container, top with remaining chopped fruit and drizzle with remaining peach purée. Gently swirl a knife through the mixture to create streaks of puree and cream.
Freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.
