Drop-Biscuit Peach-Blueberry Cobbler Recipe

A taste of summer

Aug 06, 2022

Hello! Hello!

Even as summer fruits and vegetables reach peak abundancy, I experience anticipatory sadness knowing that the season will come to end and that that’ll be that for corn and tomatoes, which we eat every summer evening, and peaches, which are so plentiful now that they’re packed in bushel baskets and take up half the table at our local farm stand. I know, I know – I should live in the moment. At least I should eat in the moment.

PEACHES APLENTY

It’s a given that when peaches are at their ripest, when you catch their fragrance before you get within arm’s length of the bin, when their colors are romantically rich and when they give just a bit if you press their cheeks lightly, the best way to eat them is out of hand, maybe even leaning over the sink. Whenever we get a great peach, either Michael or I will start telling the story of the best peach we ever had, the one we bought at a tiny corner convenience store in the French town of Tournus and ate on the street, not minding that our hands and lips were sticky from the sweet juice.

It’s also a given that as good as peaches are eaten as Mom Nature delivered them to us, they can be sublime when we mortals fiddle with them. Poached peaches are at the heart of the Peach Melba, one of the most splendid sundaes ever scooped. And grilled peaches can be the base of a salad (so good with ricotta or burrata), a go-along with pork, chicken or grilled fish or dessert, of course – just add honey or balsamic vinegar syrup, ice cream or whipped cream or both (at which point, you might actually be riffing on the Melba).

You could make a pie. Or a crisp. Or a tourte – a sleeker, double-crusted pie. Or a tourte with brown butter. I love this recipe.

Or you could make a cobbler. It’s what I did.

Drop-Biscuit Peach Cobbler from EVERYDAY DORIE. Photo by Ellen Silverman.

COBBLE A COBBLER – IT’S EASY, FUN AND TASTES LIKE THE BEST OF SUMMER

It’s not known for sure why a pie pan filled with fruit, topped with biscuit dough and baked is called a cobbler. Some sources say its because the biscuit looks like cobblestones, but I don’t see it. Others say that it might have gotten its name because the topping was cobbled together from bits and scraps at hand. Maybe.

My cobbler is made with peaches and blueberries. The filling is straightforward – a little sweetening, a squirt of lemon juice, if you want (I always want that), and a small measure of cornstarch (if you want) to thicken the juices slightly. It’s the biscuit topping that makes the dessert so special – it’s sweet cream biscuits that bake light and fluffy. The biscuits are tasty on their own and even better when they’re soaked through with peach juice and covered with fruit.

Cobble, cobble. It’s the weekend. Make it delicious.

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DROP-BISCUIT PEACH-BLUEBERRY COBBLER

Adapted from EVERYDAY DORIE
Click here for printable recipe

GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START

The peaches: I know this horrifies some people, but there are times when I don’t peel the peaches for this cobbler. I hope you won’t hold this against me. If you have the time, peel the peaches. But if the difference between making the cobbler and not making it is the time it takes to peel the fruit, skip that step!

The flavoring: There isn’t any. I usually add only lemon juice to the fruit, but you could certainly amp this up. Ginger is always nice with peaches, as is cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla or even a little ground sumac. If you like the idea of herbs and fruit, think about verbena, lemon balm, thyme or a little rosemary.

The biscuit: The biscuit doesn’t have butter, so it bakes cakey rather than flaky, which is just what you want here. I like to scoop it out onto the fruit, but you could just spread it out. No matter what you do, it will bake into a cozy, haphazard blanket. The biscuit top is different every time – it’s one of the charms of this recipe.

Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

For the fruit

3 pounds (about 1 1/2 kg) peaches
1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar, or to taste
Freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)
1 cup (150 grams) blueberries
2 teaspoons cornstarch (optional)

For the biscuit topping

1 1/2 cups (204 grams) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (240 ml) cold heavy cream
1/2 cup (120 ml) cold buttermilk (well shaken before measuring)

Ice cream or whipped cream, for serving (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Butter a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan and put it on the baking sheet.

To make the fruit: I know this may sound sacrilegious, but sometimes I don't peel peaches for cobblers, crisps or pies. But if you want to peel them, cut a shallow X in the base of each peach. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Drop in the peaches a few at a time, leave for about 15 seconds, lift out and transfer to a bowl filled with very cold water and ice cubes. Leave for a couple of minutes, then drain and peel.

Cut the peaches into bite-sized chunks or slices and toss them into the pie pan. Taste and decide how much sugar you want and then, if you’d like, add some lemon juice. Add the blueberries and then make a decision about the cornstarch: It’s only a tiny bit, but it will thicken the juices a little. If your peaches are very ripe, I’d add it. Give everything a good stir and set aside.

To make the biscuit topping: Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together the cream and buttermilk. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and, using a table fork, stir until the flour is evenly dampened and you’ve got a moist batter.

Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, dollop the topping over the fruit — leave a little space between each pouf of batter.

Bake the cobbler for 45 to 55 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and, most important, the fruit juices are boiling under, and maybe up, through and over, the biscuits. Transfer to a rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes, or until the cobbler reaches room temperature, before serving, with or without ice cream or whipped cream.

PLAYING AROUND: You can vary the cobbler according to what fruits are in season and within reach: Just know that you need a scant 6 cups cut-up fruit, sugar to taste and, if you’d like, lemon juice. I love an all-berry cobbler — mix whatever berries you can get and, if you want, cut in some ripe mango; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the berries — they’re very juicy. Plums make a pretty cobbler and are nice in combination with peaches or nectarines. I adore apricots, though it can be hard to find good ones — but when you bake them in a cobbler, even so-so apricots can shine. In spring, go with rhubarb and strawberries (and some cornstarch).

STORING: The cobbler is best the day it is made. You can keep it covered overnight at room temperature or in the refrigerator, but the biscuit topping will never make you as happy as it does soon after it comes out of the oven.

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