Peach Cobbler

Summer fruit desserts are fantastic; you can pretty much let the fruit stand on its own, with minimal preparation and some kind of crust or biscuit. Cobblers are much less fussy than a pie, and so are my dessert of choice for summer gatherings. For other summer fruit desserts that feed a crowd, check out my posts for Blueberry Cobbler and Strawberry Shortcake.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon vegan sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons vegan butter
• 6 tablespoons ice water
• Cooking spray
• 6 cups peeled and sliced peaches
• 3/4 cup packed vegan brown sugar, divided
• 2 and 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1 Ener-G egg
• 1 tablespoon vegan sugar

1. To prepare the dough, lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife.  Combine the flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and the salt in a food processor; pulse 2 to 3 times.  Add the butter and pulse about 10 times - the mixture should look like coarse meal.  Add the ice water and process just until combined; you don't want the dough to form into a ball.

2. Gently press the dough into a 4-inch circle.  Place 2 overlapping sheets of plastic wrap on a slightly damp work surface, and place the dough in the center.

3. Cover with 2 additional pieces of overlapping plastic wrap.  Roll the dough through the plastic into a 15x13-inch rectangle.  Freeze for 5 minutes, then remove the top sheets of plastic.  Flip over and fit the dough, plastic wrap side up, into a 2-quart (11x7-inch) baking dish coated with cooking spray - the dough will extend over the edges.  Remove the remaining plastic wrap and discard.

4. To prepare the filling, combine the peaches, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 and 1/2 tablespoons flour, vanilla, and cinnamon.

5. Spoon the peach mixture over the dough in the prepared dish and fold the overhanging dough over the peach mixture.  Sprinkle the exposed peach mixture with a final 1/4 cup brown sugar and the almonds.

6. Brush the Ener-G egg over the dough, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.

7. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes - the filling should be bubbly and the crust should be lightly browned.  Let stand for 30 minutes before dividing into 10 portions.

Nutrition Info:
10 servings (1 portion), Calories 302

Tasting Notes:
Just as a summer dessert should be, bursting with fresh peach flavor. I wondered if 1 tablespoon vanilla extract would be heavy-handed, but it is surprisingly subtle. Next time I would toss the almonds together with the rest of the peach mixture instead of sprinkling on top, to distribute more evenly, and use turbinado sugar on the crust for a bit more crunch, but those would be my only changes.

Update: I liked leftovers chilled from the fridge even better, which made for stronger cinnamon flavor.

Rating:
3.5