Peach Raspberry Buckle … or is it a Cobbler? – Water :: Earth :: Wind

At about the age of 8, I learned a spelling trick for the words, “desert” and “dessert” … I think my dad taught this to me: desert has only one “s” because you only want to be stranded in the desert one time … and dessert has two “s’s” because you always want seconds. Well, as I have aged and my tastes have changed, the trick doesn’t work so well anymore. Now, I love the desert and although I might not want to be stranded there, I would go back to the desert again and again… and I like dessert but don’t need to have it every day and when I do, one small serving is plenty! But then, my dad had a big sweet tooth. This would have been the perfect way for him to remember the difference between dessert/desert.

Growing up I made this recipe for peach cobbler from the Gasparilla Cookbook. I think we (my family) were all so inured to sugar that my memory of the cobbler is warped. I’ve made it twice in the last couple of weeks trying to get back to that way I remembered it. In my memory, this “Prize Peach Cobbler was not as sweet as this one turned out. So, I made it again this time using less sugar and butter. I like my version better.

So, “cobblers:” ever wondered what’s the difference between cobbler, crisp, betty and, um … buckle? Here’s one answer. Here’s another (suspiciously similar) article (I can’t tell who copied who, but they use the same descriptions.)

Here is how I made the recipe with less sugar and butter:

Prize Peach Cobbler

Serves 8 (I served smaller portions than the original recipe called for.)

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup flour
No salt (original recipe calls for some salt)
2 scant tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
6 T butter
2 cups fresh sliced nectarines (I had these so I used them instead of peaches)
1/3 cup fresh raspberries (more or less as you like it)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

PREPARATION

Slice the peaches into a bowl. Toss them with brown sugar and spices. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Melt butter in 8x8x2-inch baking pan in the oven. Remove from oven and set aside.
Sift flour, salt and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar.
Slowly stir in milk to make batter.
Pour batter over melted butter. Do not stir.
Carefully spoon the peaches over the batter (I made a spiral pattern, but it’s equally as yummy just randomly placed over the batter.)
Bake 1 hour at 350F.

Here is the original recipe from the Gasparilla Cookbook

Prize Peach Cobbler

3/4 cup flour

Less than 1/8 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

2 cups fresh sliced peaches

1 cup sugar

Sift flour, salt and baking powder. Mix with 1 cup sugar; slowly stir in milk to make batter. Melt butter in 8x8x2-inch baking pan. Pour batter over melted butter. Do not stir. Carefully spoon over this the peaches and sugar, mixed thoroughly.

Bake 1 hour at 350. Serves 6.