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When the air is dripping with humidity and we’re too naïve to turn on the air conditioning thinking that, at some point, there’s got to be a breeze, there’s nothing I like more than throwing together a dessert in 10 minutes of prep time.  Well, I guess there’s one thing better than that: a dessert with gorgeous summer fruit.  Juicy unpeeled (yay!) peaches are combined with some luscious in-season strawberries and set atop layers of browned butter and cobbler batter.  A sprinkle of brown sugar tops everything and while baking, a little magic happens.  Since the cobbler is made backwards with the fruit on top and the batter on the bottom, you’d never think this recipe would work correctly…but it does!  The batter rises to the top with the help of some baking powder, covers the fruit, mixes with the brown sugar, browns up to crunchy sugar edges, and the result is a divine and not overly sweet dessert.  If you really want push it to the next level, add a scoop of ice cream – mine was homemade Cinnamon-Vanilla Bean and it almost overshadowed the cobbler.  Almost.  This Peach and Strawberry Cobbler was by far the high point of my day yesterday and since I can use virtually any kind of fruit in place of the peaches and strawberries (fresh or frozen!), you can hedge your bets that I’ll be making this cobbler even into the fall after we go apple picking and pears are back in-season.

My pal, Josie, chose this recipe as her choice for Project Pastry Queen this week so make sure you head on over to Pink Parsley to check out her version!

Hill Country Peach and Strawberry Cobbler
source: adapted from The Pastry Queen, by Rebecca Rather

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbs baking powder
  • Pinch salt
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 2 cups sliced fresh peaches
  • 1 cup slice fresh strawberries
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350.  Set an 8-inch square baking dish aside.
  2. Over medium-high heat, melt the butter in a small sauce pan until it becomes bubbly and turns a nutty-brown color.  You’re essentially browning the butter here so watch it carefully to prevent it from burning.  (And it will burn quickly!)  Pour the butter into the baking dish.
  3. In a medium bowl, stir the granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and milk together.  Gently pour the mixture over the butter, but do not stir it into the butter.
  4. Carefully arrange the peaches and strawberries evenly on top of the batter (don’t bother making them neat), and sprinkle the fruit with the cinnamon and then the brown sugar.
  5. Bake the cobbler for 40-45 minutes, until the batter has risen to the top to cover the fruit and it is golden brown.  Serve warm with ice cream or at room temperature.  Keep any leftovers refrigerated.