OK, you all, it’s fresh peach season. And as the old “Get Happy” song made famous by Judy Garland goes –

Forget your troubles, c’mon get happy, you better chase all your cares away. Shout “hallelujah”, c’mon get happy, it’s peaches in a pan today!

OK, I did change the last line but, I really believe it’s better than “Get ready for the judgement day”! (That’s a little too depressing for me to handle.) But fresh peaches, in a pan covered with tasty biscuits, baked and served with vanilla ice cream! That I can really get excited about. And this recipe (a bit adjusted by me) from sallysbakingaddiction.com is fabulous. So, I am totally thrilled to share it with you. (And BTW, Sally’s site is fantastic. She is the real deal. Check it out.)

Anyway, if you haven’t gathered by now that I am really happy I found this recipe, you are simply not paying attention. Because this is the best peach cobbler I have ever produced. And believe me, I have made a few cobblers in my day. But in my humble opinion, this is a perfect recipe. (Like I know anything about being humble!) Anyway, just make this cobbler. It’s worth every bit of effort.

So, enjoy this wonderful season of fresh fruit and veggies. And please support your local farmers by visiting their stands and putting some money directly into their hands. They work so hard. And you know the produce is going to be better than anything you can buy in a store.

And as always, peace and love to all.    

For the peach filling:

¼ c. brown sugar, packed

1 T. cornstarch

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

pinch ground ginger

1/8 tsp. fine sea salt

10 c. peeled* and cut into 1-1½ Inch chunks fresh peaches

Stir the brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Stir in the peaches until each piece is coated. Scoop the mixture into a lightly buttered 9×13-inch baking pan. (Glass is best.)

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the topping.

Remove from oven and set aside. Keep the oven on 350-degrees.

For the buttermilk biscuit topping:

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed  

½ c. + 2 T. granulated sugar, divided

1½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. fine sea salt

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

½ c. buttermilk

½ tsp. cinnamon

Place the flour, ½ cup of sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until the mixture is well combined. Pour in the buttermilk, and pulse just until dough comes together.

Take handfuls of dough and gently flatten. Place dough all over the top of the warm peach filling until you have covered most of the peaches. Sprinkle with dough with remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar that has been mixed with the ½ teaspoon of cinnamon.

Bake in your already heated 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until the biscuit topping is golden brown and peach filling is bubbling around the edges. (The top is done when you stick a toothpick into the biscuit topping and if it comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Or serve slightly warmed with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

*Peeling peaches can be a pain in the patootie.

For ripe peaches: I cut the peach in quarters with a pairing knife. Then I separate the sections and remove the pit. Then I start at one end of each piece and peel the skin away.  

For peaches that aren’t quite ripe: Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Carefully add your peaches. (I lower the peaches into boiling water with a slotted spoon.) This technique, officially called blanching, helps to loosen the peach skins so they peel easily using either your fingers or a paring knife. The process is quick (about 30 seconds), so take care not to leave the peaches boiling for too long.

Using the same slotted spoon, remove the peaches into a large bowl filled with ice water. (You should set this up before starting the boiling process.) Shocking the peaches stops the cooking process and allows you to hold the peaches without scalding your hands.  

Once the peaches are cooled, remove the peaches from the ice bath. Using your hands or paring knife, gently peel away the skin. The skin should release from the flesh with minimal effort.

I have found that cutting the peaches by making the initial cut around the middle rather than from stem to stern works best for me when I use this method. And I personally like Clingstone peaches best. But I take what’s available and always remember to say thank you. I love peaches just that much!