SERVES 8
SKILL LEVEL: MODERATE
COOK TIME: 45 MINS.
PREP TIME: 20 MINS.
COST: $
I couldn’t love anything more than a ripe peach, the kind that is so juicy you need to eat it standing over the sink. My Grandma Thelma’s peach cobblers were the dessert highlight of the summer. She would make it with a crust on the bottom that was crumbly and flaky on the outside, and soft, smooth, and juicy on the inside, like a dumpling. My version backs off a bit from Grandma’s use of sugar, but I do that with a lot of desserts. You need to remember to balance with salt. That makes all the flavors bloom.
2 tablespoons butter
4 cups peaches, peeled and sliced
½ cup sugar, plus more to sprinkle
½ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ cup water
¼ cup amaretto
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
4 tablespoons butter, divided
½ cup yogurt
cup milk, plus more to brush
1 tablespoon water
1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
2. Heat the butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until it foams and subsides. Add the peaches, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, water, and amaretto. Cook until broken down slightly, about 10–15 minutes.
3. In a bowl or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the shortening with your fingertips or in the food processor (using quick pulses), then cut the butter into the dry mixture using the same method.
4. Combine the yogurt, milk, and water. Make a well in the dry ingredients, and pour the wet mixture in. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir until just combined and pour into a 9 x 9 baking dish.
5. Drop tablespoonfuls on top of the peach mixture. Brush the exposed dough with milk, and then sprinkle sugar over the whole thing. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20–30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.