Wow, it got chilly quickly this past week. Apples and peaches are available in abundance, but these past few days the weather has been so unseasonably damp and cold, I have been craving something warm. One good way to warm up the house, make it smell delicious, and use seasonal fruit is to make some cobbler. The recipe I posted below is for apple-peach cobbler–partly because those are the fruits I had in the house at the time, and partly because apples and peaches taste lovely when baked together. The crust is hearty and crumbly, much like biscuits. This cobbler recipe is not nearly as light as the simple apple crisp recipe I posted earlier, but sometimes one is in the mood for something more substantial and filling, especially after coming in from a chilly evening. After having the windows open and smelling fresh air all summer, it is different to have all the windows closed, trying to trap every bit of warmth. Cooking and baking scents are more intense and fragrant, and the light is softer as we gather around to eat together. It is a cozy time of year!
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Cozy Apple-Peach Cobbler
Ingredients for Filling:
- 3 apples, peeled, quartered, and sliced
- 3 peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lime or lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons flour
Ingredients for Pastry Topping:
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
- 3/4 cup to 1 cup milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a standard sized pie baking dish. Prepare filling: Combine and sliced apples, peaches, sugar, lime or lemon juice, and four in a large bowl. Transfer to baking dish. Prepare topping: Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Stir in 3/4 cup of milk until the mixture forms a ball of dough, adding more milk only if necessary. Gently knead the dough 3 or 4 times, until ingredients are thoroughly combined. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface until it is large enough around to cover the fruit and reach to the edges of the baking dish. Transfer the dough to the baking dish. Gently stretch the dough so it reaches the edges of the baking dish and covers the fruit. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect–this is a hearty, rustic dessert. If the dough tears, just patch it with extra dough from an edge that has too much dough. Lightly sprinkle the top with sugar. With a knife, carefully cut three steam vents in the center of the dough. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35-42 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. **Note–it is a really good idea to put a cookie sheet under the baking dish while baking, so if the filling bubbles over, you only need to clean your cookie sheet and not your oven! Serve warm or at room temperature, with our without vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
Sometimes, when I am in need of an energy boost, and I don’t want to overdo it on the caffeine, I turn to red foods. According the “The Complete Book of Color” by Suzy Chiazzari, red foods give us energy and strength. Lucky for me, there are lots of ripe, juicy, red tomatoes around my house right now. My husband’s parents are growing some delicious tomatoes this year, and they are generously letting us share in their bounty. When a tomato is really fresh and tasty, it does not need a lot of preparation. Tomatoes and basil are a traditionally great combination, and we happen to have a lot of basil growing in our garden. So to prepare an energizing snack, I went out in the warm, soft rain and picked a bunch of basil. Then I chopped two medium-sized ripe tomatoes and a handful of the basil, and put them in a bowl. I added two teaspoons of olive oil and one teaspoon of balsamic vinegar to the bowl. (I am a huge fan of balsamic vinegar, and look for any chance I can get to use it.) I put in a tiny pinch of sugar and a generous pinch of salt to the bowl, stirred it all together, and had a delicious, revitalizing tomato salad. To make it more filling, I put the tomato-basil mixture on crackers. If you are looking for a way to use your tomatoes and need an energy boost, this is a great way to do it!