Bragging Rights - Bourbon Peach Cobbler

"The world’s largest peach cobbler is made every year at the Georgia Peach Festival, measuring 11 by 5 feet.



This is not that cobbler.

In an attempt to bring you more peach tree recipes. I decided to try out something I snipped from (yet again) my food network magazine before my peach tree was even in full bloom. The fact that the recipe calls for 8 peaches caught my eye because I am trying to not let these darlings go to waste! Amazingly enough, I had all the ingredients for this recipe already in my apartment except for the heavy cream so I was good to go.

I was reading up about peaches and cobblers and came across the website for the Georgia Peach Festival where they make the biggest peach cobbler in the world each year.

The colossal cobbler -- 11 by 5 feet and about eight inches deep -- is made from an extraordinary 90 pounds of butter, 150 pounds of sugar, 150 pounds of flour, 32 gallons of milk and, of course, 75 gallons of peaches.

They also apparently use trash cans as bowls and boat paddles as mixers. Why do people do this? It reminds me of this battle I heard about on the radio between Lebanon and Israel...no not an actual battle...but a culinary battle: the world's largest bowl of hummus. The countries have been going back and forth (3 times just in the past year) making the world's largest bowl of hummus, each time topping the other country's record. Lebanon won the most recent title with a bowl that weighed 23,042 pounds in May 2010. The competition goes deeper than just making a huge bowl of the yummy stuff. The countries have long feuded over where the traditional chickpea-based dip originated. Since that argument cannot be proven one way or another, this is a way to give the country's something tangible earn bragging rights to.



I may have set the record for the smallest peach cobbler as I did not want to make too much. I don't have too many mouths to feed, and my personal mouth does not need to be chowing down on peach cobbler all week. I just had to try this recipe, and I am really glad I did. This actually got two "that was really good" comments from Zach...one during consumption and one later, much later (I think the later after a meal a good comment about the food is made, the better)! That is about I all I need to claim bragging right in this blog. The topping is delicious and not too sweet. The bourbon adds a nice rich flavor to the peaches. The peaches from my tree have a slightly tart flavor which actually worked pretty well for this. I cannot say enough. Just try it.



Bourbon Peach Tree Cobbler
(recipe by Tyler Florence in Food Network Magazine
)

8 peaches, peeled and sliced
1/4 C bourbon
3/4 C sugar, divided, (plus extra for sprinkling)
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp) cold unsalted butter, (extra 2 tbsp for skillet)
3/4 C Heavy cream (plus extra for brushing)

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl add the peaches, bourbon, 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon and mix well to coat the peaches evenly; set aside.

Prepare the dumplings: Into food processor (or by hand) add the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter into small pieces. Add it to the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture looks like wet sand. Mix just until the dough comes together. Don't overwork; the dough should be slightly sticky but manageable.

In a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium-low heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Add the peaches and cook gently until heated through, about 5 minutes. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls over the warm peaches. There can be gaps, the dough will puff up and spread out as it bakes. Brush the top with some heavy cream and sprinkle with some sugar; put it into the oven on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Cook for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is browned and the fruit is bubbling.