peach blueberry cobbler.

After careful consideration, I've come to the conclusion that there must be some sort of law in our town requiring at least one farm stand for every five citizens within a ten mile radius. I know, that sounds like math. Please don't leave.

This must be true because all summer long, and especially along that long, country road that takes us to church on Sundays, they've been hanging out every couple of miles. A wooden stand boasting fat tomatoes and juicy melons. A roadside shack with cantaloupes piled three feet high. That one in particular that's harder to see from the street but if you're diligent and follow the homemade signs, you'll find a cement-floored pavilion with industrial fans blowing in the windows and cherry pies lined up on the counter, futilely attempting to cool in the scorching heat.

And it was in that last fruit stand that I found the peaches. Enormous, softball-sized, fuzzy-skinned, last of the summer peaches. I picked half a peck and a jar of local honey (for my granola addiction, you see) and went straight for the kitchen with cobbler in mind.

And if you're like me, you've got a pint or two of blueberries in the icy depths of your freezer, ready for your favorite pancakes at a moment's notice. You might want to throw this in there, too.

And if you're the type of person who loves a biscuit topping but sort of gag at the lack of texture, then this cobbler is for you. I like a biscuit with a bit of grit, a little muscle, a little extra chew than the standard sort. This one does the job. I doubled the topping recipe for maximum cornmeal biscuit coverage, and I wasn't sorry.

Not only did I double the biscuit topping, I also changed up the peach to blueberry ratio. After reading that the blueberry flavor drowned out the peaches, I knew I couldn't allow that to happen.  

Peach Blueberry Cobbler
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen & The Lee Bros.

For the fruit:
2 1/2 (about 4 cups) pounds peaches, pitted and cut into slices
1 cup blueberries
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the biscuit topping:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine stone-ground cornmeal (yellow or white)
6 tablespoons brown sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt 6
 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss peaches with blueberries, sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt and tip the mixture into a 13x9 pan.

To make your biscuit dough, stir together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into the dry mixture with your hands, smashing and grabbing and working it all together. When the butter bits look crumbly but aren't completely incorporated, stir in the buttermilk with a spatula. The dough should be pretty sticky. Dollop large spoonfuls of the biscuit dough over the filling. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if desired (I did).

Bake until the cobbler’s syrup is bubbly and the biscuit tops are browned, about 25-30 minutes. Let cool slightly and scoop it into bowls and serve with ice cream or freshly whipped cream. I'd be lying if I said I didn't eat this for breakfast the next morning.