A perfect summer dessert that relies primarily on the sweetness of fresh fruit.  I was the lucky recipient of a basketful of peaches from our friends Gisela and Igor who have peach trees at their lake house.  Baking the fruit in a deep dish and using a cornmeal-flour crust was an ideal way to enjoy this delicious fruit.  I added blueberries, but raspberries would be delicious as well.  I love to use vodka in the crust as it helps to maintain the gluten and provides the dessert with a nice crispy crust.  The decorative lattice design makes for an impressive presentation and don’t skip the vanilla ice-cream!

Serves about 8

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE DOUGH

  • 1 cup flour (I love Bob’s Redmill Pastry flour)
  • 1/3 cup finely stone-ground cornmeal
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon. kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon  sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced and chilled
  • 2 tablespoons ice-cold vodka
  • 2 tablespoons ice water

FOR THE FILLING

  • 3 lb. peaches, cut into slices

  • 3 cups blueberries, or other berries

  • 3⁄4 cup sugar

  • 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt

  • 1⁄2 tsp. ground ginger

  • 1⁄4 tsp. ground cardamom

  • 1 teaspoon Penzey’s vanilla sugar (optional)

  • 1⁄4 cup flour

  • 4 tbsp. butter, thinly sliced

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon cream

Directions:

For the dough, place flour, cornmeal, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor.and pulse to combine. Add chilled butter, and pulse with flour until mixture resembles a very coarse cornmeal. With the motor running, pour in vodka, then gradually add in ice water just until the dough starts to clump.  Transfer the dough onto a flat surface and press into a disk, place in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place peaches and blueberries and in a mixing bowl with the berries. Toss gently with sugar,  salt, ginger, cardamom, vanilla sugar and flour. Place the fruit filling in a deep dish 6-by-13-inch baking dish. top with thin slices of remaining butter.  On a floured surface, roll out disk of the dough out to about 1⁄8 inch thick. Cut the dough into strips about 2⁄3 inch wide. Lay  half the strips diagonally over the layer of filling in the dish, leaving small gaps in between, then weave the other half diagonally in the other direction to create the lattice pattern.  Combine the yolk and cream together and gently brush the crust with the egg wash.  Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment to protect against overflow, and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the crust is golden and the filling bubbles and thickens. If the crust begins to brown too much, loosely cover with foil.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Cobbler can be reheated at low heat and best enjoyed with ice-cream.