Crisp vs Cobbler...it's a no lose situation!

Palisade Peaches

 

 

 

Palisade Peaches are in. Juicy, silky, divine. It is a delicious time of year in Colorado. Summer is officially here...and then soon enough it will be gone. In Colorado we usually get our first snow just a month from now. It is August, and time to soak in summer while we can.  Pies, cobblers, crisps and jams...there is a bounty of options to put summer on your table. Pies, to me, are a bit more time consuming...and sometimes I can't be bothered to make the dough for the crust. I don't know about you, but I get stressed out just thinking about ice water, chilled butter cut into pieces, an hour or two waiting for the dough to chill in the fridge, finding a spot to roll out the dough...and then cut it into strips to weave over the fruit.  Maybe, on a Sunday soon, you'll have all day to commit to the artistry of a beautiful pie. However, if you find yourself with the constraint of time and dinner is nearly on the table...make a cobbler or a crisp.  Deciding between the two is really a matter of assessing your sweet tooth.

 



 

 

There are some essential differences between a crisp and a cobbler. A crisp has oats, nutmeg and brown sugar...therefore aligning itself with the true sweet tooth maven.  Nonetheless,  the crisp will leave you absolutely charmed. There is something about wholesome oats and princely nutmeg when they are combined with brown sugar and warm, soft peaches and the right amount of counterbalancing salt. It is comforting deliciousness in a bowl. There is a rustic authenticity to the crisp, going after a childhood sense of simplicity that sweeps me to a summer cabin on a lake where tomorrow night I might make s'mores by the campfire. The cobbler is flour based with buttermilk (maybe some cream cheese), baking powder and generally less sugar. It is a tad more sophisticated in my mind...with a biscuit of sorts on top of the fruit that is decidedly less sweet than the crisp. The cobbler has almost a Southern charm with it's restraint and grace and buttermilk. It gives off the air of being a little more refined...like I should be wearing a summer dress, sitting on the front porch swing of an old Victorian home and enjoying it in the warm evening air. 

Served warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, the crisp and the cobbler reach a whole new level of decadence. Any sense of self-denial is thrown out the window I suppose...but really who cares? This is peach season...the time is here and now and ice cream elevates the enjoyment. The Greek yogurt diet can wait...jeans and big sweater season is just down the road. The crisp and the cobbler both aim to please, enchanting anyone and everyone who dives in. And they are...easier than pie. Get some while you can.

 

 

  Peach Crisp

 





 

Peach Crisp:

6 cups diced peaches

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

 

1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup melted butter

 

Combine first four ingredients in a large mixing bowl, let stand for 15 minutes...until juices start to flow.
 

Preheat over to 400*.

 

Butter & flour a  13 x 9 inch round baking dish.  Bake fruit mixture for 35 minutes.

Combine oats and next three ingredients...then mix in melted butter. Sprinkle over fruit and bake for another 15-20minutes...until browned.

 

Serve with a scoop for vanilla bean ice cream.   Sweet indulgence at its best. Yummm!!

 

 

 Peach Cobbler

 

 

 

 

Peach Cobbler:

Preheat oven to 375*

 

5 cups diced peaches

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

 

Toss

Arrange in 13x 9 inch buttered & floured baking dish.

 

Combine in a food processor:

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

 

add in:

1/4 cup chilled butter  cut into pieces

1 teaspoon lemon rind

6oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese cut into pieces

add 1/2 cup buttermilk  until blended

 

spoon over fruit mixture

sprinkle with 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Bake at 375* for 55 minutes until golden brown.

 

Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream.  Sink into the couch and enjoy!!

 

 

 

 

 



 Cobbler