Peach Cobbler

As a food zealot with a decided preference for local and fresh, there is no better time of year than now to the middle of October. So I'm dedicating many of my upcoming posts to a celebration of the harvest here in northern New England.

First up, one of my local coops (it's so cool to have a choice among coops) always carries these amazing peaches from Pennsylvania in August. I know they're not exactly local but they are grown in the Northeast. I do know they're fresh and they actually have flavor, lots of juicy running across your chin flavor, which those those hard-as-rocks peach-look-alikes from other places never have.

So, remembering the rhubarb cobbler that my son baked earlier this gardening season, I turned to my trusty King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook for the recipe and found this one on the next page. So easy and incredibly yummy.

SUPERFAST COBBLER

Batter
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk

Fruit
2 cups peaches or strawberries or blueberries or apples or rhubarb, washed and (if necessary) cut into pieces no more than an inch square. No need to peel.
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350. Prep your fruit. Cut the stick of butter into 6 or so pieces and place in the bottom of a shallow baking dish. Place it in the oven to melt while you mix the remaining batter ingredients. Once the butter is melted, spoon the batter into the butter, making it as even as possible across the baking dish. Spoon the fruit onto the batter, once again spreading it out evenly.

Place the cobbler into your oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Let is cool for about 10 minutes before serving so the hot fruit won't burn your tongue.

And then gobble the cobbler.