Do you like peaches?

There are health benefit to eating the delicious, fuzzy fruit (If you’re like me, you peel them first). And of course, this is peach cobbler season!

• They have lots of vitamin C.
• They have beta-carotene which is good for your eyes.
• They have fiber, which helps control your weight and appetite.
• They have flouride, which helps protect teeth.
• Go HERE for more information about the health benefits of peaches.

How to peel a peach when you want it to be perfectly round:

Gat a small pot and fill it with water, leaving space  about 2 inches from the top. When the water is boiling, ease the peach into the water.

Let it stay in the boiling water for maybe a minute, then take it out and put it into cold water. The skin should slide off easily.

My Favorite Summer Cobbler – Peaches, Blackberries and Plums

• 8 cups peeled and sliced firm, ripe peaches (6 large-9 medium)
• 6 cups sliced firm red plums  (6-8)
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste
• 1 1/2 – 2 cups granulated sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour or cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup very cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• coarse sugar

Make your favorite pie crust, either wheat or gluten free. Chill it while you make the filling.  If you don’t have time, buy a premade pie crust from the dairy case. Do not use a frozen pie crust.

Butter a 9×13 pan or baking dish with the softened butter. Seriously butter it.  You might have some butter left over. I use a 10 inch cast iron skillet., melt the butter in the pan and swirl it to coat the pan. Then I leave the butter in the pan and add the fruit, etc.

Choose the fruit carefully. Do not choose fruit that is too ripe, or it will lose its shape as the cobbler bakes. Choose fruit that smells like it is ripe and delicious, but is also firm when you gently put pressure on it. If you can’t tell, either buy an extra piece to taste, or ask someone else to help. Pick over the berries and remove any stems or bad berries.

Mix the peaches, plums and blueberries in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the vanilla. Blend together the granulated sugar, spices and cornstarch and sprinkle over the fruit. Stir until the fruit is covered with the sugar mixture.  Pour into a buttered 9×13 pan. If you have left over butter from buttering the pan, melt it and pour it over the fruit. If you use a cast iron skillet, the butter will already be in the pan. Then evenly scatter the butter cubes over the fruit.

If you are not using premade dough, take the pie dough out of the refrigerator. Place it on a pastry cloth or waxed paper sprinkled with flour. I find that 1/4 cup is usually more than enough. Put the dough on the floured surface and lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top of it. If you don’t have plastic, rub a bit of flour onto the rolling pin. You don’t want the dough to stick to the pin. Using your rolling pin, roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick.

If you are using premade dough, take it our of the package and unroll it. Then, place it on a pastry cloth sprinkled with flour. Roll the crust slightly.

Cut the dough into strips and weave them into a lattice or cut into squares  about 1-2 inches square. Arrange the dough on top of the buttered fruit. Take the egg and beat it with a tablespoon of  water. Brush the top of the crust with this mixture, not enough to make it sloppy wet, just enough to help the sugar stick. Sprinkle coarse sugar (Sugar in the Raw is good for this) on top of the crust.

Bake at 400 degrees until the crust is brown and the filling is bubbly. If the crust browns too much,  put foil lightly on top of the cobbler while it finishes baking. This should take about 40 minutes, but start checking at about 35 minutes. You can even bake the cobbler at 350 degrees if you are using a dark, heavy pan like a cast iron skillet.