GMA Recipe: Joel Siegel's Peach, Plum or Berry Cobbler

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Joel Siegel's Peach, Plum or Berry Cobbler
From GMA's Entertainment Editor Joel Siegel
1997

What you need: 12" well-seasoned cast iron frying pan or deep baking dish.

Serves: 12-15

It's Friday, and that means the finale of GMA's family cooking week. We're stuffed from eating tortilla soup, turkey lasagna, veggie wraps and lime chicken -- but the question remains: have we saved the best for last?

Today it's Entertainment Editor Joel Siegel's turn. You know him as our movie critic. What you don't know is, he's also a gourmet chef! Let's find out if his recipes are as good as his reviews.

So Joel, we've all made main dishes this week. I understand you went the dessert route. What is it?

Joel: This is one of my favorite desserts, a cobbler that can be made with peaches, plums, or berries. It is a great summer dessert that uses fruit in season and is also great for breakfast. It is my ex-wife's recipe that I have been using for over 10 years. You can tell what a great "classic" recipe this is from the condition of my original recipe.

What's so special about yours?

Joel: The fruit is baked alone before the entire cobbler is baked. This prevents the fruit from becoming soggy and keeps it separate from the dough.

Ingredients
Fruit filling:

8 large, ripe peaches (3-4 lbs)

1 1/2 c. light brown sugar

1 tsp. apple pie spice

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 Tbsp. Minute Tapioca (optional)

2 Tbsp. Framboise (raspberry liquer) (optional)

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Cobbler dough:

2 c. sifted flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. buttermilk

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions

Filling
Pit, halve and slice peaches cut in 8 pieces. Place peaches, brown sugar, spice, lemon juice, tapioca, and Framboise in large bowl, mix and let macerate for approx. 10 min. Put into well-greased (Crisco) 12" frying pan. Dot with unsalted butter. Cook for 20-25 min. at 425 degrees.

Cobbler
Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Mix in unsalted butter with your hands until flour is the consistency of oatmeal. Add buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir. When peaches are done, use a large spoon to drop the batter onto the peaches. Do not mix. The batter will expand.

Bake 25 min. at 425 degrees or until the biscuits are golden brown. Allow to slightly cool, serve while still warm with fresh whipped cream.

Other fruit mixtures for cobbler:

2-3 quarts blueberries, blackberries, or huckleberries

1 1/2 c. sugar

juice of 1/2 a lime

zest of 1/2 a lime

1 Tbsp. tapioca (optional)

More variations:

4 lbs. plums cut into 8 pieces or 3-4 lbs. nectarines

1 1/2 c. light brown sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon