Southern Classic: Peach Cobbler

On the Southern produce calendar, the arrival of peach season in June is something like a summertime Christmas. Except it’s a gift that keeps giving for three glorious, juicy months. And though there’s not a thing wrong with simply enjoying the fruit whole, skin-on, with sweet liquid running down your elbows, even peach purists would likely admit that nothing quite tops off a summer supper like hot-from-the-oven peach cobbler. “Cobbler reminds you of Mom, even if your mom never made a cobbler,” says chef Chris Stewart, of Charleston, South Carolina, comfort food favorite the Glass Onion. “It has imprinted itself on the American brain in the same way as apple pie.”

Beyond the natural sweetness of the peaches, the key to this recipe, Stewart says, is the tangy buttermilk in the crust. “You get that sweet and sour contrast.” Plus, it’s as easy to make as it is delicious. Prep the cobbler in advance and put it in the oven to bake as you sit down to eat. Then serve it hot alongside a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Keep his recipe handy—the versatile dessert also works well with apples in the fall and berries in the spring.

Ingredients

Filling

Softened butter, for pan
4 cups peaches, peeled and chunked
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. corn starch
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Topping

1 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, then softened
3/4 cup buttermilk

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with softened butter.

Combine all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl; stir to combine. Transfer to greased baking dish.

For the topping:

Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and work into the dry ingredients, rubbing together with your hands, until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add buttermilk and stir to combine.

Then top the fruit with large spoonfuls of the batter. (The batter does not need to cover the fruit entirely; it will expand during the baking process.)

Bake for about an hour or until the top is golden brown and the dough has cooked through. If top becomes too brown and dough still needs to cook more, cover with foil.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Recipe from chef Chris Stewart of the Glass Onion in Charleston, South Carolina