Peach cobbler – a family favorite

A few years ago, I purchased a small box of tree-ripened peaches directly from a farmer. They were perfectly ripe, ready to eat fresh, and I wanted to make peach cobbler. My paternal grandmother often made fruit cobbler by putting tablespoonfuls of drop biscuit dough onto a fresh fruit filling. Her cobblers were a deep-dish fruit pie, with fluffy soft biscuits on top instead of pie crust on top and bottom. Although I looked and looked through her recipes, I couldn’t find one for "cobbler."

I wanted peach cobbler instead of peach pie, so I kept looking. I searched on the Internet but didn't find anything close enough to try. Then I consulted my favorite cookbooks. I didn’t locate a recipe for “fruit cobbler” until my Discover Dayton cookbook.

My husband, Charlie, was born and grew up on a farm outside Dayton, Ohio. We met in 1982 while he was working at Sunrise on Mount Rainier. In 1985 we moved to Ohio, living on one of the family farms while working in downtown Dayton.

Before we returned to Washington State in 1990, I purchased a Discover Dayton cookbook, the main fund-raising project of the Junior League of Dayton at that time. My copy is from its fourth printing in 1984.

With 354 pages of recipes featuring many local favorites, the Discover Dayton cookbook is over an inch thick, consisting of 5 main sections, distinguished by alternating white and bright-colored pages.

The first section, Appetizers, is printed on lime green paper. Savory Side Dishes follows on crisp white pages. Elegant Entrees stand out on mustard yellow paper, while dessert recipes grace the white sheets of the next grouping, Sweet Endings. A final section shares recipes contributed by Dayton area restaurants, printed on cranberry red paper.

Between Company Cheesecake and Baked Cheddar Apples, I found Five Generation Peach Cobbler on page 244, contributed by Mrs. George L. Word (Paige Early). It had a pie-like top crust for the cobbler, which I suspected would be more work than a drop biscuit version. I was right; it was.

Pulling the cobbler out of the oven, I asked myself, “Will it be worth it?”

After my first bite, I was hooked. I have seen people return for seconds, even third helpings at potlucks. Best peach cobbler EVER!

Five Generation Peach Cobbler

5     cups fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced

3      tablespoons flour

1-1/4 cup sugar

1      teaspoon cinnamon

4-6   tablespoons butter

Slice peaches into a heavy, greased baking dish measuring approximately 9 inches around and 3 inches deep. Mix together flour, sugar, and cinnamon, and sprinkle over peaches. Dot with butter.

CRUST

1     cup flour

1/2  teaspoon salt

2     teaspoons baking powder

2     tablespoons sugar

1/3  cup shortening (I use butter)

1/3  cup milk

Sift together dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Pour milk in all at once, and stir with a fork. Roll dough out on a floured board until it is the size of the baking dish – it will be ¼ to ½ inch thick. Place crust on top of peaches. Bake in preheated 425-degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Dr. Louise Achey, Doctor of Pharmacy, is a 43-year veteran of pharmacology and author of Why Dogs Can’t Eat Chocolate: How Medicines Work and How YOU Can Take Them Safely. Get clear answers to your medication questions at her website and blog, TheMedicationInsider.com.

Ó2023 Louise Achey