Dad’s Dessert

Even though I grew up in the south, with an avowed southern family, we never really ate the typical “down home” fare of our region. Chicken was baked rather than fried, greens were of the spinach variety instead of collard and desserts were for special occasions, not every night.

But, when my dad did pull out the ancient, hand-churned ice cream bucket, I knew that something wonderful was to follow. We might not have eaten a lot of sweets, but when we did, we did them the old-fashioned way. This cobbler might not be exactly traditional (the crust is more crunchy than biscuity), but the flavors are all spot-on. Pair this with some homemade vanilla ice cream and you have the only summertime dessert you’ll ever need.

Summer Cobbler with Lemon Crust
Serves 6

4-5 very ripe peaches, skin removed*, cut into 1-inch thick wedges
3 c. ripe strawberries, stems removed, cut in half
1/3 c., plus ½ c. sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
½ c. all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
½ c. unsalted butter, softened
1 egg yolk
½ a lemon, zested
½ tsp. vanilla extract
vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Butter an 8x8 square glass baking dish. Combine the peaches and strawberries with 1/3 cup of the sugar and the cornstarch in the dish. Let sit until the sugar dissolves, tossing to thoroughly combine.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and ½ cup of the sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in the yolk, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Slowly add the flour while mixing until a moist dough forms.

With a wooden spoon, drop the dough on top of the fruit, spacing evenly. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the crust is golden brown, about 55 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream.

*Side Bar- To make peeling the peaches easier, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Drop the peaches in the water and let cook 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water. (Note- If you feel the skin and it doesn’t feel loose around the fruit, return to water and boil an additional minute. If peaches aren’t sufficiently ripe, they will take significantly longer in the boiling water.) When peaches are cool enough to handle, make a small cut into the skin, then peel off.