Peach Pit Cobbler

Regular readers of this blog know that I grew up with a mother who made more reservations for dinner than actual meals and her memorable main dishes total three. However, she is famous for one dessert - peach cobbler. Every year during the height of peach season (before climate change that usually just meant the end of August) we would beg her to make cobbler. My 5 sisters and I all have this one thing we agree upon: peach cobbler rocks. Now, her recipe comes from the early 1950s edition of the Betty Crocker cook book (which I believe she got for a wedding gift and I know she still has). A few years back I borrowed the recipe and made a copy and have been making the original ever since. It suggests that any fruit can be used, but I suggest peaches. It also says  you can use vegetable oil or crisco, but crisco makes it taste better. This is comfort food dessert at its best.

Have you seen those Back to School Beverly Hills 90210 commercials for Old Navy lately featuring Jenny Garth, Luke Perry, Jason Priestly and the girl (actually, I should say grown woman) who played Andrea?
Boy, do they bring back the memories of those plucky Minnesota  twins (Priestly and Shannon Doherty) who get plopped down in the toney zip code and to make new friends and influence people all the while hanging out at the wholesome Peach Pit diner. The "kids" hung out there for the 10 year run of the show, the savvy writers having turned it into the Peach Pit Afterdark nightclub once the characters were old enough to legally drink. Through all of the trials and tribulations of privileged teenage life, Nat (the modern day Al of Arnold's) and the Pit were always there to comfort bad boy Dylan, rubes Brandon and Brenda, pretty girl Kelly, insecure Steve and nice girl Donna.

The Recipe: (written the way Betty did)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Arrange in a square 9x9 pan 3 cups sliced and pitted peaches
Sprinkle with a mixture of 2/3 cup sugar, 2 tbsp flour and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Dot with 2 tbsp butter

Sift together into a bowl 1 cup flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt
Add 1/3 cup shortening or oil, 3 tbsp milk and 1 egg

Stir with a fork until thoroughly blended. Drop by spoonfuls over the fruit. If desired, dough may be spread with a spatula to cover the surface of the fruit. bake 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

Note: For a larger recipe, double the ingredients and bake in an oblong pan 13x91/2 pan 40 to 50 minutes at 350.

For Kevin