Peach & Cherry Cornmeal Cobbler with Rum Whipped Cream

Sometimes you drive two and a half hours to pick peaches only to be told that you're not going to be picking any peaches.

No. No peaches for you because everyone else was rude and picked them all.  So you can go back peachless or take the ones the orchard-keepers have picked for you.  Okay, not so bad.

Oh, but you wanted to revisit the spot where you got engaged?  Too bad.  The orchard is closed, because we are fancy enough to be able to close a section of a mountain.  Yes we are.  But please, buy another donut. 

Ok, ok, bye.  

P.S. I'll take half a dozen donuts, please and thank you.  

Though last Saturday's venture was a bit disappointing, the peaches were nonetheless delicious, because we had not picked them ourselves. 

I have been baking and blanching and freezing for days, but this simple cobbler was the most delicious reward, and it made the drive worth every minute. 

I am always looking for new ways to add more texture to my favorite recipes, and ever since I saw Tracy's Raspberry Cobbler I have had cornmeal on the brain. 

I love the subtle, but distinctive crunch that it adds to baked goods. 

Cold butter, cornmeal, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and a bit of all-purpose flour come together in a rough dough after a few pulses. I really love when I can make a crust in my food processor.  

I have had half of a bag of black cherries in my freezer for about two weeks, so I decided to toss them in with the peaches.  Their flavors worked so beautifully together and the colors were more vibrant than my old Lisa Frank notebook. 

I get unreasonably excited at a chance to blanch peaches, but it is just SO MUCH FUN!  Every time I do it and those soft, fuzzy skins peel away with the slightest pull, I am amazed and I have to share my astonishment with whomever is closest. Sometimes that's just snap chat. 

Blanched peaches happen to be really slippery, so be extra careful when slicing. 

One third of the buttery, cornmeal crust is crumbled onto the bottom of the pan, making a bed for our fruit that will soak up an excess juices. 

The remaining crust is pinched into small pieces and sprinkled atop the fruit. 

This would be a good time to line a baking sheet with foil and place it under the rack that you will be baking on.  Bubbling fruit juices have a nasty tendency to drip all over your clean oven. 

After some quality oven time, this cobbler will be bubbling and that cornmeal crust will have reached a lovely shade of golden. 

We could call it a day right now, but I felt as thought this bake was begging for a creamy counterpart. 

Rum whipped cream perfectly fit the bill.  The subtle notes of rum were the perfect compliment to the rich, sugar-kissed fruit.  It's also excellent eaten by the spoonful... 

This was my snack, my dinner, and breakfast the next morning.  It's fruit, so, you know - healthy! 

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

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Peach & Cherry Cornmeal Cobbler with Rum Whipped Cream

serves 6

for the cobbler topping

• 1 1/4 cup fine cornmeal 
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes 
• 1/4 cup ice water

In the work bowl of your food processor, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, and ground cinnamon.  Pulse until well-combined.  

Add butter to the flour mixture and pulse several times, until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.  Slowly stream in ice water, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing until a rough dough just comes together.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and shape into a disc.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for thirty minutes.  

for the filling

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 4 medium, ripe peaches
• 1 cup black cherries defrosted, if frozen
• 1/2 whole lemon, juiced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place a sheet pan lined with foil on the bottom rack.

In a medium bowl, whisk to combine cornstarch and granulated sugar.  Toss the fruit in the cornstarch mixture and add lemon juice. 

Divide the chilled dough into thirds and pinch one third into pieces.  Sprinkle in the bottom of 9-inch pie plate.  Cover with the fruit filling.

Crumble the remaining 2/3 of the dough over the top of the fruit.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, on the center rack, until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is crisp and evenly browned.  

Allow to cool for about thirty minutes before serving.  While the cobbler is cooling, prepare the cream.

for the rum whipped cream

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar 
• heavy splash of rum 

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat cream on high speed until it holds soft peaks.  Beat in confectioner’s sugar and rum until just combined. 

Serve atop warm cobbler.  Enjoy! 

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Raspberry Poppyseed & Cornmeal Shortcakes

It’s officially Spring.  I went on a walk yesterday, I have a few new sundresses, allergies are making me wish that my head was removable, and I am planning my egg-dying color scheme for this year.  

I’ve been daydreaming about baked ham, my mama’s peanut butter eggs, and egg-hunting more than ever over the past few weeks, as that winsome seductress, Spring, has slowly made her arrival.  I was even tempted to buy a package of marshmallow peeps the other day, and then I reminded myself how much I hate those things and walked away with only a tiny bit of regret.

Shortcakes, perhaps more than any other dessert, heralds the coming of Spring. The markets are once again filled with bright berries and, as we sit on the brink of one of the sweetest holidays, it seems like the perfect time to revisit this homey treat -- with a bit of a twist, of course. 

Growing up, strawberry shortcake was much beloved by my family.  It meant spongy, oily, store-bought cakes, sugar-coated strawberries, and, though I cringe to say it - CoolWhip.  

Though I was never deprived of home-baked treats as a child, my family did not mind taking a few shortcuts now and then.  

These days, I've exchanged store-bought cakes with homemade, and CoolWhip is permanently banned from my refrigerator, but shortcakes covered in berries and cream have not lost one ounce of their charm.  

These particular shortcakes have a marvelous texture, due to the addition of cornmeal and poppy seeds.  

You may have noticed my love for poppy seeds.  I use them A LOT.  It's probably because I'm a total texture-addict.  My mom and I have a habit of dumping cereal atop our bowls of ice cream just because we cannot stand to have creamy without a bit of crunchy.  Weird?

Well my grandfather eats his ice cream with cheese crackers, just to put things in perspective. 

A generous dose of heavy cream and butter make these cakes rich and buttery -- the perfect compliment to fresh, acidic berries and airy cream.  

Shortcakes are imperfect, it's part of their charm.  The dough is shaggy, the rounds may be a little lopsided -- that is all okay. 

The most important thing to remember is not to overwork your dough.  Do not try to make it perfectly smooth, as that will just result in a dense, tough cake. 

Before they meet the oven, these tiny cakes are brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with sugar. 

Turbinado sugar would be an excellent choice, but if you somehow misplaced yours like I did, granulated sugar will do the job. 

Oh yes, these shortcakes have raspberry inside them too!  I really love raspberries. 

While the shortcakes are baking, the rest of our raspberries are macerating in sugar and lemon juice.  Maceration is your friend.  It helps berries create their own natural syrup.   

Cream is portioned, berries are heaped, and it's almost time for dessert. 

Spring tastes delicious. 

If you, like me, are still figuring out your weekend brunch menu, this would be a really, really good choice.  

Happy Easter! 

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

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Raspberry Poppyseed & Cornmeal Shortcakes

makes 12 / recipe adapted from Bon Appetite

for the raspberries

- 2 1/2 cups fresh raspberries 

- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

- 1 tablespoons granulated sugar

Place raspberries in a large bowl and drizzle with lemon juice and sugar.  Toss gently to combine.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until ready to use. 

for the shortcakes

- 1/4 cup granulated sugar + extra for sprinkling 

- 1 tablespoon baking powder 

- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

- 1/2 cup cornmeal 

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes 

- 1 cup heavy cream 

- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

- 1 cup fresh raspberries  

- 1 egg 

- 1 teaspoon water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, baking powder, salt, flour, and cornmeal; whisk to combine.

Add butter and use a pastry cutter or the tips of your fingers to work it into the flour mixture, forming pea-sized pieces.

Add heavy cream and poppy seeds and use a large spoon to combine.  Gently fold the flour into the cream, forming a rough dough.  Fold in fresh raspberries, working gently so as not to crush the berries.  

Turn the dough out unto a floured surface and gently shape into a disc about 1-inch in thickness.  Sprinkle the top of the disc lightly with flour. 

Use a biscuit cutter to cut 3-inch rounds of dough.  Place rounds 1-inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

In a small bowl, whisk to combine egg with one teaspoon water.  

Brush the top of each shortcake round with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Place the shortcakes on cooling racks and allow to cool fully before serving.  At this point, shortcakes can be stored in airtight containers for several days. 

for the cream

- 1 cup heavy whipping cream 

- 1/4 cup confectioner’ s sugar

In a large bowl, combine heavy cream with confectioner’s sugar.  Use a hand mixer to beat the cream on high speed until soft peaks form.  

to serve

Place one shortcake in a small dish and cover with a spoonful of cream and a heaping spoonful of macerated raspberries.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy! 

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