There was no doubt I was making this recipe. I’m a sucker for fruit cobblers. And I love baked goods with cornmeal and lemon zest in them. Again, this impeccable recipe comes from Cook’s Illustrated, where the editors tested and perfected this classic summer dessert. The fruit filling is delicately sweet and tart, and the bright blueberries look stunning next to the golden peaches. The drop biscuits on top have an airy, fluffy texture and a rustic appearance flecked with lemon zest. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
Blueberry-Peach Cobbler w/ Lemon-Cornmeal Biscuit Topping
from The Best New Recipe
serves 6
*Notes: If your peaches are firm, you should be able to peel them with a sharp vegetable peeler. If they are too soft and ripe to withstand the pressure of a peeler, blanch and shock them before peeling. Do not prepare the biscuit dough any sooner than the recipe indicates; if the unbaked dough is left to stand too long, the leavener will expire and the biscuits will not rise properly in the oven. This recipe can be doubled for a crowd; use a 13×9 inch baking dish and increase the baking times in steps 2 and 4 by about 5 minutes.
Ingredients
For Filling:
2 pounds ripe but firm peaches (about 6 medium)
1 cup blueberries, rinsed and picked over
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tblsp juice from 1 lemon
pinch salt
For Biscuit Topping:
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tblsp stone-ground cornmeal
1/2 tsp lemon zest
3 tblsp plus 1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
5 tblsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/3 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. For the filling: Peel the peaches then halve and pit each. Using a melon baller or small spoon, scoop out and discard the dark flesh from the pit area. Cut each half into four wedges. Gently toss the peaches and sugar together in a large bowl; let stand for 30 minutes, tossing several times. Drain the peaches in a colander set over a large bowl. Whisk 1/4 cup of the drained juice (discard remaining juice), the cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt together in a small bowl. Toss the peach juice mixture with the peach slices and blueberries and transfer to an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Bake until the fruit begins to bubble around the edges, about 10 minutes.
3. For the biscuit topping: While the fruit is baking, in a food processor pulse the flour, cornmeal, lemon zest, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to combine. Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer to a medium bowl; add the yogurt and toss with a rubber spatula until a cohesive dough is formed. (Don’t over mix the dough, or the biscuits will be tough). Break the dough into 6 evenly sized but roughly shaped mounds and set aside.
4. To assemble and bake the cobbler: After the peaches and blueberries have baked 10 minutes, remove from the oven and place the dough mounds on top, spacing them at least 1/2 inch apart (they should not touch). Sprinkle each mound with a portion of the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar. Bake until topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling, 16 to 18 minutes. Cool the cobbler on a wire rack until warm, about 20 minutes; serve.
You won’t find a better cobbler. The lemon puts it over the top!