Gobble up some Cobbler

The other week I bought a 12 count crate of lovely peaches. I used 4 to make the strudel, one the mister ate and that left me 7 to do with as I saw fit.

Now, I am going to wade into the quagmire of semantics and say that in the south a “cobbler” would most likely mean a fruit filled dessert topped with dough. This recipe, because it is oat based, is a crumble. For a dissertation of proper dessert names you are welcome to read this fun article.

Now that we have THAT out of the way, let’s get this thing going!

Gather your ingredients:

Fresh fruit of your choice, about 5 cups

1/4 cup brown sugar (choose white for berries)

1 tablespoon corn starch

1/2 teaspoon fiori di sicilia (use vanilla if you don’t have this)

For the topping:

2/3 cup all purpose flour

2/3 cup oats (quick cooking is fine, instant are not)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

pinch of salt

1 stick of butter (softened)

Tip: Fresh ground nutmeg can be the difference between good and great! Nutmeg is very versatile; use it in spinach, casseroles, with fruit. It is worth it to get a microplaner and grate whole nutmeg at home as you need it.

Prep your chosen fruit, combine the four ingredients for the filling and allow to sit  in a large bowl while making the topping.

In another large bowl combine all of the remaining ingredients except for the butter.

 

Mix the dry items together and then begin adding the butter a tablespoon or two at a time. Using a pastry blender, gradually meld the butter into the dry mixture until it begins to “ball” together or form a pea-like consistency.

You want it to be crumbly and not floury (yes, I made that up) looking. In the photo above you can see that I need to add a bit more butter. Once you achieve the right look, pour the fruit into an ample baking dish and sprinkle the top with the crumble mixture.

 

Using a 350 degree oven bake for about 45-55 minutes. Mileage may vary and so might your oven. You want this bubbly and brown but not burned on top.

Pull that dude out of the oven and allow it to cool on a rack for about 20 minutes….if you can make the masses wait that long! Just don’t serve them molten hot fruit. They will not say nice things about you afterwards.

Put a nice helping in a bowl and share the love! If you are feeling extra spiffy, a dollop of fresh whipping cream or a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream will help put you over the moon!