My Mama's Rustic Peach Cobbler

When I had a Huge Milestone Birthday last week, my 86-year old Mother said she wanted to bring me my favorite thing she makes in this world, Peach Cobbler.  After thinking about it, I suggested she come to my kitchen and we would bake it together.  You have never tasted a cobbler as good as Mom's cobbler. It oozes sweet, peachy yumminess with a crisp, thick crust that begs to be topped with vanilla ice cream.  I've watched Mom make this dozens of times without a recipe and she really couldn't give me a recipe when I asked how she makes it.  But, what was I thinking?  She marched right in with all the ingredients and began to tell Me what She was going to do.  Julia Child reincarnate.  I swear.  We had a wee bit of a problem when she started dumping things in the big bowl and I asked, "Sooo...how much flour was that?"  Mom, "Oh, I don't know.  I just know."  "Well, Mom, I can't just tell my readers to 'guess' and 'hope' it turns out OK because some of my readers need all the help they can get a recipe!" So, we started over and measured.

Now, to give you just a little background on this woman I love to call 'Ma Mere', she is a source to be reckoned with.  No one tells her what to do or that she can't do something because she darned sure will show you how the cow ate the cabbage.  She is a retired nurse and still volunteers in the surgery waiting area of a local hospital.  She has a wicked sense of humor and a heart bigger than Dallas.  She can grow anything and everything.  Hubby says she could grow peanut butter and he just might be right. She's a daredevil and will try anything.  When she turned 80, my daughter surprised her by taking her (and me) white water rafting in Colorado. Three generations of wild women and a first for the rafting company.

Mom on Pont Alexandre

Mom at Pere Lachaise Cemetiere acting creepy

For her 85th birthday last May, The Most Wonderful Husband in the World suggested I take her to Paris, France to honor the occasion.  He has a knack for making me cry with his sweet generosity (thank you for my beautiful birthday gift) but after I wiped my eyes, I got all excited about it and then I got really nervous about it.  I mean I haven't spent 10 hours on a plane with my Mom EVER or walked all over my favorite city with anyone older than me or dealt with all those 'Senior' things of which I increasingly made into a bigger deal than it was going to be.  So, what's a daughter to do?  I want to go.  I want her to go.  I called my best (travel) friend (Italy 2007, Mary-O-Andretti-O) to please go with us--sort of backup in case I turned into some psycho daughter and lose my Mother in Paris or she wanders off and ends up on the wrong plane, in the wrong city without her cell phone turned on.  Well, mais oui, Ms. Debby agreed almost faster than I could start planning and the rest is history.

Don't touch her baguettes!

Once in Paris, my Mom kept us going and going and going and she just thought she was hot stuff there because she was, actually.  Europeans that I've been around have a huge respect for their elders (take a lesson America) and the French Men adored her.  My friend and I promptly took the 'end of the tour' spot when Ma Mere was present.  She was escorted ahead of us at the Moulin Rouge (yes, we took her and yes, she loved it and she got to 'use the toilette' reserved only for special guests...looked like something Marie Antoinette would have decorated but nonetheless, she was happy as a bird on a june bug to be promenaded to the front of the long lines and taken into the Red Room!)  She was the guest of honor on the Seine River dinner cruise and she allowed herself to enjoy just how lovely she really is with all the oohing and aahing, "Madame, blah blah, s'il vous plait."   She never slowed down even after a full day of Notre Dame Cathedral, shopping on Rue de Rivoli or trudging all over Pere Lachaise Cemetiere, not finding a taxi and walking miles back to the taxi hub near our apartment.  She loved her baguettes and everything Paris.  She wanted to live in our apartment, not come home and could be found in the middle of the night watching life in the street.  People of every description eating, drinking, laughing and loving on the rues du Marais.  I just wish we could do it again and maybe we shall.

Apt rue du Marais

We decided the only way to get her through the airports was of course in a wheelchair.  If you haven't had the experience of traveling with an elderly Madame, here's a tip--just carry lots of $10's and $20's and you'll get through every security line and fast track before you can think twice.  We schemed that it would be a great idea to start-up a 'Rent-a-Senior' business so everyone can speed through their flight/airport experiences.  Nice people those porters.  Couldn't have done it without them and I think they wrote down our names and numbers just in case we ever do it again because we're a pretty crazy funny hysterical entertaining trio of ladies especially when about to miss a flight-- but that's another story.

OK, let's get some things straight before we begin.  Mom said, 'You must use Gold Medal All Purpose Flour.  Don't use anything else or it won't taste right.  You have to use Crisco Butter Flavored Shortening.  Don't use anything else or it won't taste right."  So don't go substituting regular shortening or King Arthur or Shawnee Flour or any other stuff.  Do what she says or you'll be grounded.

I must admit I was surprised to see two 29-ounce cans of peaches in heavy syrup instead of frozen peaches but she explained these are the easiest and if you want to use frozen peaches, you can.  You just have to adjust the sugar to your liking.  After tasting this cobbler made from canned peaches, you won't miss the fact it didn't fall off the peach tree into your pan.  This is also one of those wonderful, large cobblers just perfect for Mother's Day dinners or any family get together or pot luck dessert.

My Mama's Rustic Peach Cobbler
(rustic because we piece together the crusts--more like a tarte tatin)

Prepare the crust  and allow it to cool before starting the peach mixture.

 3 c Gold Medal All Purpose Flour and extra for dusting when you roll out the dough
1.5 sticks Crisco Butter Flavored Shortening
1 tsp salt
Blend together with pastry blender or fork until pea-sized crumbles form. 
   Don't over work the dough--Ever!
Whisk together:
1 egg, 1/3 c water and 1 tsp lemon juice
sugar and cinnamon for sprinkling

Add to flour mixture and lightly mix together--add more water a tsp at a time if you need it.  Shape into ball and divide in half.  Flour your work surface. Set one-half aside while you roll the other half dough into a thin layer that fits with about a 1.5" overlap of extra dough when you lay it in your baking dish. Rollup and wrap in plastic wrap.  Repeat for other dough.  Place in refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour.  While cooling, prepare peach filling.  When dough is cooled,  work one half  dough into dish and pinch off extra dough to repair tears or thin spots. Trim edges even with top of baking dish.  Sprinkle dough liberally with sugar and cinnamon.  Bake in 400 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes until just starting to brown.  Remove from oven and set aside.

Prepare the filling.  

In a medium saucepan, dump the two 29-oz cans of peaches in heavy syrup but keep out about 1/4 c syrup to blend spices and cornstarch. Heat on medium heat until just starting to bubble around the edges.  In a small bowl, mix reserved syrup, 3 TBSP corn starch, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 2 tsp cinnamon and another 1/4 c sugar.  Slowly add to peaches and stir until slightly thickened.  Turn off heat.  The peaches will continue to thicken as they cool.

Pour thickened peaches onto dough and roll out second piece of dough to top cobbler.   (If you want a richer flavor, cut up 2-3 TBSP butter and dot peaches with butter before topping with dough.)  Fold dough in half after rolling and place on top of peaches.  Unfold and piece together any tears or holes.  Cut off edges and slightly push down into corners.  Pinch edges together. 

Beat one egg white and gently brush dough.  Sprinkle liberally with sugar and cinnamon.  Bake in 400 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes until top is golden brown.  Remove and immediately serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream or fresh sweetened whipped cream or creme fraiche.  You have now entered a little bit of my Mama's heaven. 

Thank you, Mom for being the most wonderful Mother anyone could ever hope to have.  My biggest compliments come when someone says I remind them of you.  When I grow up, I hope I'm as full of life as you are.  Happy Mother's Day!

River Seine dinner cruise

Bon Ma Mère!!!