Peach cobbler is a decidedly southern dish. It grew out of an amalgamation of techniques from England, improvisation from enslaved people, early settlers and possibly even travelers. A lot of folks that ever had a relative that was born anywhere in the south, close or distant, has staked a claim about an aunt, great uncle or great-great grandma that was the first person who made a peach cobbler. You know that ain’t true though, right?

Here’s a recipe from 1839:

A peach pot-pie, or cobler, as it is often termed, should be made of clingstone peaches, that are very ripe, and then pared and sliced from the stones. Rub the bottom and sides of a porridge-pot, or small oven with butter, and then with dry flour. Roll out some pieces of plain or standing paste about half an inch thick, line the sides of the pot or oven with the pieces of paste, letting them nearly touch in the bottom.

Put in the prepared peaches, sprinkle on a large handful of brown sugar, pour in plenty of water to cook the peaches without burning them, though there should be but very little liquor or syrup when the pie is done. Put a paste over the top, and bake it with moderate heat, raising the lid occasionally, to see how it is baking.

When the crust is brown, and the peaches very soft, invert the crust on a large dish, put the peaches evenly on, and grate loaf sugar thickly over it. Eat it warm or cold. Although it is not a fashionable pie for company, it is very excellent for family use, with cold sweet milk.

The Kentucky Housewife by Lettice Bryan, 1839 (http://researchingfoodhistory.blogspot.com/2009/08/peach-cobler.html

Many people avoid making peach cobbler because they think it’s difficult. That couldn’t be further from the truth. And, thank goodness we aren’t using the recipe from The Kentucky Housewife cookbook. 

I cook a lot and as much as I love desserts, it seems reasonable that I’d have a trove of dessert recipe posts and I will post them up soon. 
We ain’t using no paste (pie crust, I think), we ain’t using no loaf sugar (I don’t even know what that is). I was a little bummed that I had to use canned peaches but oh well, it ain’t peach season, it’s March. But, I still made do and cooked a scrumptious cobbler. 

I learned how to make peach cobbler from my mother, Ms. Humphrey, a southern cook and it is delicious!  I decided that when I cooked a peach cobbler for the blog, I should honor my mom, and at least cook it the way she would and try to do her proud. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Large pot of boiling water (to skin peaches)
Large bowl of ice water (to shock peaches)
1-½ stick of butter (½  stick melted)
1TBSP cornstarch
¼ cup cold water
¾   cup sugar
¼  cup brown sugar 
1 tsp salt (divided in half)
10  fresh peaches or 3 – 32 oz cans of cling peaches, drained
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 TBSP Grand Mariner (optional)
1 TBSP vanilla extract
1-½   tsp – ground cinnamon
¼  tsp – ground nutmeg

Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¾ cup milk
1 tsp sugar

To skin peaches:

Bring water up to a fast boil. Score peach skins and blanch in boiling water for about 2 minutes. Shock peaches in ice water. Peel, stone, and slice peaches. Set aside.  

Use ¾ stick of butter to grease baking dish. Set aside.

Combine 1 cup of the white sugar, brown sugar, ½ tsp salt, remaining butter, spices, in a heavy bottom pot with peach slices. Mix cornstarch and cold water and add to peach mixture. Simmer on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes. Once peaches are soft, take mixture off the heat. Stir in vanilla, lemon juice and Grand Mariner. Pour into baking dish.

For poured crust:

Combine flour, ¾ sugar, baking powder, and salt; add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter over peaches (do not stir). Sprinkle sugar on top of batter.

Bake at 375° for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown. Serve cobbler warm or cool with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (optional).