Our Fabled Nest

Food is memories for me. Food is nourishing, wholesome and genuine. I have many beautiful memories of family moments because of us gather around a table or fixin’ something delicious (aka cooking up a storm!). It could be something so simple like Pop, my grandpa, drinking diet caffeine free Pepsi to wash down a bologna sandwich after a hard morning of yard work. Every time. It could be gram c’s spaghetti which was vastly different from gram g’s – the kind I grew up on… I didn’t know jarred spaghetti was a thing until elementary school. It is just how we did things. Or those holiday meals where we worked hours on our feast only for it to be devoured in no less than thirty minutes. Memories of sitting on the kitchen counter, along with photo evidence of a four-year-old me buttering the thanksgiving turkey with my bare hands show I’ve always been a foodie. It kinda runs in the family. These women know how to cook and bake even if it isn’t conventional or measured out. A pinch of this and pinch of that creates the most magical dishes!

This is one of those recipes. Like many other food recipes I post, it isn’t always about the food but the folks. The peach cobbler today is inspired by my momma. She is the master of a pinch of this, a bite of that and poof! Dessert! Being gluten free, means I have to weigh out certain ingredients because gluten free flour can be fickle. Thankfully, this relates more to yeast breads and cakes. Momma has always called this thing a “Sonker”. I think that’s southern for “delicious something or another”. She can magically throw together a cup of flour, a cup of sugar, a stick of butter and a whole bunch of peaches. Bake for an hour and holy cow, perfect! Don’t mess with a good classic but as my gram says, add a little zip to it.

Ingredients:

• Peach filling:
  • 4 cups chopped peaches
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
• Topping:
  • 1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 stick salted butter (1/2 cup), melted
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 egg

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter or grease an 8×8 and set aside.
• In your greased 8×8 add the peaches and brown sugar. toss to coat then level out. Set aside.
• In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients of flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Set aside.
• In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients of milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla. Whisk well. Then stir in the dry ingredients.
• Pour the topping batter over the peaches. Making sure to cover them as evenly as possible.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. The topping will be golden brown when finished.
• Let cool before slicing. 6 to 8 servings. Enjoy!

Notes:

• Grandma’s tip! Peel peaches easier by soaking them in hot water for a few minutes. This should reduce the fuzz on them and help with peeling!
• Chopped or sliced peaches will work here. Sliced does look prettier but chop peaches are a bit quicker.
• A round 8-inch cake pan will work in a pinch! I made two cobblers – one in the 8×8 and one in the 8-inch round cake pan. Both turned out beautifully and baked for the same amount of time.
• I prefer King Arthur Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour for all of my baking adventures. If subbing in regular flour or another type of flour I would say you might need to add a 1/4 cup more flour. Start with the lesser and add if needed. We are looking for a pancake batter consistency.
• Top with fresh whip cream or a side of ice cream!

Cheers to our next adventure!