Nick's Peach Cobbler
Submitted by hcullop
Nick’s peach cobbler tops three and a half pounds of fresh sliced peaches with a tender buttermilk biscuit crust. Cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest, and pieces of butter make a syrupy summer dessert.
YIELD
18 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
50 minThis is the kind of peach cobbler that gets passed down on a stained index card and never gets improved upon. A buttermilk biscuit crust is rolled out in one piece, draped over fresh sliced peaches tossed with sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon and nutmeg, then baked at high heat until the crust turns deeply golden and the filling bubbles up through three vent slits.
The rolled biscuit crust on top, instead of dropped or pinched dough, is the signature. It bakes into a single golden lid you cut into squares and lift to release a cloud of peach steam. Pieces of cold butter scattered over the filling melt down between the slices, mingling with the peach juice into a buttery syrup at the bottom of the dish.
A buttermilk wash and sugar dust on the crust before baking is what gives the top its sparkle and crunch. Skip it and the crust looks pale and homely.
Pro Tips
- Use ripe but firm peaches. Overripe peaches turn to applesauce in the oven; underripe ones never sweeten enough during the short bake.
- Rub the butter into the flour just to a coarse meal stage. The directions warn against pasty dough for good reason: overworked biscuit dough bakes tough instead of tender.
- Cut the vent slits all the way through the crust and angle them outward. Steam needs an exit, or you get a soggy underside on the biscuit lid.
- Let the cobbler rest 10 minutes after baking. The filling juices thicken on cooling, and a fresh-from-the-oven serving runs across the plate.
Variations
- Add a splash of bourbon or amaretto to the peach filling for a Southern-style boozy cobbler.
- Stir a half cup of fresh blueberries into the filling for a peach-blueberry cobbler that picks up purple streaks throughout.
- Sprinkle the buttermilk-painted crust with raw turbinado sugar instead of regular sugar for an extra crackle on top.
Ingredients
Directions
For the dough, place flour in a bowl and rub in butter until fine and mealy.
Do not allow to become pasty.
Stir in 1 cup of the buttermilk, adding the remainder if necessary.
Press dough together on a floured surface, wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest while preparing filling.
Preheat the oven to 450℉ (230℃) and set a rack in the middle level.
Place the peaches in a bowl and add the remaining filling ingredients, except the butter.
Toss well to combine and pour filling into a 2-quart gratin dish or other baking dish .
Distribute pieces of the butter evenly on the filling.
On a floured surface, with the palms of the hands, press out the dough to the size of the baking dish and slide a thin cookie sheet under it.
Slide the dough onto the filling.
Cut 3 or 4 vent holes in the crust with the point of a knife.
Paint the top crust evenly with the buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake the cobbler about 20 minutes, until crust is well-colored and filling is bubbling.
Cool slightly on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.
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