Peach and Blueberry Cobbler First Attempt
Although the summer has been gloriously free of hot and humid days here in Washington, DC, the recent days have left both Wife and I craving childhood favorites such as cobbler pie. Well, actually, I think it is more honest to say that my near constant droning of day dream memories of summer cobblers and fresh ice cream (as in “your arm nearly falls off from cranking the ice cream maker and that is how your parent’s kept you from pestering them all evening” ice cream) were either highly persuasive or in enough quantity to convince Wife of the critical necessity of a summer peach cobbler.
Peach and Blueberry Gluten Free Cobbler
Thanks to a visit by some well loved in-laws, I decided it was time to take the risk of trying to live up to those day-dream quality cobblers and attempt one myself.
Cobblers are supposed to be a simple-enough affair. As the name “Cobbler” implies, this traditional American dessert is made from bringing different fruits or berries together and combining them to make an entire dish. Personally, I think the name comes from two sources. First, much like a cobble stone street, these pie – like desserts are usually filled with large, nearly mismatched, pieces of fruit or berries and nearly always it is a combination of two or more fruits or berries. Second, a review of multiple recipes as well as assorted conversations with others, indicates these desserts probably evolved from a need to use up all the assorted bits and pieces left over from assembling more traditional pies, other desserts, or even the preparation of preserves.
At any rate, the point is cobblers are supposed to be rather unstructured or even informal in their preparation, final product and even how they are served, simply put: they should be like a summer evening – fun, for family, and filling.
For the cobbler in the picture above, I followed the Peach Raspberry Cobbler recipe listed in the Joy of Cooking but substituted Bob’s Redmill Gluten Free All-Purpose flower for the required all purpose flower. In order to offset any potential “bean” flavor from the GF AP flour, I added a pinch or two of extra sugar when covering the cut fruit as well as in the batter mix.
For a first attempt, it turned out very well and proved to be a very tasty and relatively easy gluten free dessert to make.
But, after some review, I would like to investigate a different style of GF topping or even using an entirely different GF flour. As it turned out, the flour does have a slightly strong but not un-pleasant chick pea taste. Alternatively, including cinnamon, allspice or even a touch of nutmeg – when appropriate – or even a splash of brandy, cognac, Cointreau or something similar would introduce some great flavors and help offset any potential flavors resulting from the GF flour.
