Summer is almost here. Almost.
I can feel it creeping around the corner, and I know it will be on full blast as soon as we return from our trip to the Pacific Northwest next month.
Luckily, we have amazing locally grown fruits to get me through these humid Southern summers, and nothing says summer to me more than Georgia peaches. Peaches may be the one fruit I look forward to more than strawberries when the weather turns warm.
Photo taken on Android phone, edited via Instagram.
I have so many fond memories related to peaches. The most recent was biting into the perfectly ripe peach after running a 10K in the smouldering heat last year on July 4th. Although the effects of heat exhaustion a hit few hours later, that peach was the highlight of my day.
I actually don’t remember loving peaches this much before moving to Georgia 10 years ago. It really must be the locally, grown fruit that gets me. In any case, I expect this love affair with Georgia peaches to be a lifelong one.
To me, the ultimate combination (in pie form) when it comes to peaches, is blackberries. But, I did that last year with my mini pies. So, in the spirit of trying something different, I flipped through my new favorite cookbook: Pie by Ken Haedrich. By the way, if you love pie as much as I do, you really should pick this book up. It is full of 300 pie recipes – 300! That’s almost enough to make one pie a day for a year.
While searching for a way to use my Georgia peaches, I quickly stumbled across this brilliant recipe for Peach Blueberry Cobbler Pie.
Can’t decide whether you want pie or cobbler? Well, now you can have them both.
Peach Blueberry Cobbler Pie – from Pie by Ken Haedrich
Pie pastry, single crust (I cheated and used the store bought kind)
Filling
3 1/2 cups peeled, pitted and thickly sliced ripe peaches (about 7-8 peaches)
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (1/2 a lemon works for me)
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (zest from 1/2 a lemon)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
Cobbler Topping
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Garnish
Fresh whipped cream (I used vanilla ice cream)
Let’s Bake!
Either prepare your pie/pastry crust or if you are using store-bought like I did, roll out your pastry shell and tuck into a 9 1/2 to 10 inch pie dish. Sculpt the edge into an upstanding ridge, or other preferred design. Place the pie dish in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
Combine the peaches, blueberries, 1/3 cup of sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and nutmeg in a large bowl. Mix with a spoon or toss to combine, then set aside for 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons sugar and cornstarch. Then stir the cornstarch mixture into the fruit. Pour the fruit filling into the pie shell. Place the pie dish on the center oven rack and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375˚F and rotate the pie 180 degrees, so the front is now facing the back. Bake for another 10 minutes.
While the pie is baking, prepare the topping. Sift the flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub into the flour with your fingers or cut with a pastry blender, till the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. In a small mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk, egg and vanilla. Make a small well in the flour mixture and add the buttermilk mixture. Stir the batter until evenly blended.
Remove the pie from the oven and spoon the cobbler topping batter evenly over the fruit. Sprinkle the topping with 1 tablespoon sugar. Return the pie to the oven and back for 23 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Tip: slide an aluminum foil covered baking sheet onto the rack underneath the pie dish to catch any spills.
Remove the pie from the oven and let cool for at least 20 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream within an hour. Enjoy!
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