Peach cobbler

Cobbler is a classic American dessert, particularly popular in the southern United States. Its name most likely comes from the English word “cobble”, meaning “to pave” or “to arrange stones”. The term refers to the dessert’s characteristic appearance – pieces of dough arranged over the fruit resemble an uneven cobbled surface. The most classic version is, of course, peach cobbler. During baking, the peaches soften, release their juices and create a fragrant fruit sauce that bakes beneath the golden topping. There is no need to worry about covering the fruit completely with the dough – the characteristic gaps between the pieces and the rustic appearance are part of the charm of this dessert. You can spoon the dough over the fruit or, as I did, use an ice cream scoop. Highly recommended!

Ingredients for the peach filling:

• 1 kg ripe peaches
• 50 g sugar (optional)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp potato starch

Remove the stones from the peaches (you can peel them, but this is not necessary). Cut the peaches into wedges and toss with the remaining ingredients.

Grease a baking dish with a capacity of approximately 2 litres with butter. Transfer the peach filling to the dish and level the surface. Bake at 200°C for approximately 10 minutes.

Ingredients for the topping:

• 150 g plain flour
• 60 g caster sugar
• 90 g butter
• 60 ml milk
• 1 tsp baking powder
• a large pinch of salt

Place all the ingredients for the topping in the bowl of a mixer and mix until combined and a sticky dough forms.

Remove the partially baked peach filling from the oven and spoon portions of the sticky dough over the fruit, leaving spaces between them. I used an ice cream scoop. The dough does not need to completely cover the fruit.

Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar (ingredients below). Return the peach cobbler to the oven and bake for a further 30 minutes, until the topping is golden and the peach filling is visibly bubbling around the edges of the dish.

Serve warm, for example with vanilla ice cream.

For sprinkling:

• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Mix the sugar with the cinnamon.

Enjoy!

Recipe source: allrecipes.com, adapted.