The Hurrier I Go, The Behinder I Get

One of the ways my husband and I complement each other is that he's always early and I'm always late. This averages out to mean that when we're going somewhere together, we get there on time. A little bit frazzled and cross, but on time. When it's just me, though, I am late.

I don't mean to be; I honestly try to be organized so that I can get everything and get out the door with plenty of time to get there. But somehow, something always happens. I underestimate the time it takes to get there, I underestimate how awful traffic is at that time, or there's the last-minute crisis at home that demands that mommy fix it. And, of course, how could I even think of going out the door without hugs and kisses from everyone?

The upshot of this is I'm always the last one puffing into the restaurant (because I couldn't find parking and had to jog seven blocks), the one guiltily sneaking in the side door in class, and the one posting out of season food on my blog. I could be sly and say I'm thinking of my southern hemisphere friends (I've done that before), but the truth is, I forgot about it till now and if I put off posting it for another year, there's no way I'll be able to remember what cookbook that came from!



This recipe is super versatile. You can use a combination of summer fruits like berries, plums, or nectarines. It was heavenly with the peaches and pears which I used because they were sitting on the counter going bad (do you sense that procrastination theme music playing again?). Bookmark the recipe and use it next summer, or, if you're one of those weird, plan-ahead kind of people, pull some of the fruit that you froze or canned out of storage and use it to enjoy this dish all winter long.

Peach-Pear Cobbler
- adapted from Williams-Sonoma Desserts

Filling:
6 cups of sliced peaches and pears
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour*
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
pinch of salt

Topping:
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

* If your fruit is especially juicy, you might want to add a bit more flour.

1- Preheat the oven to 375 deg. F. Lightly grease a 1-1/2 to 2 quart round or oval baking dish.

2- To make the filling, gently toss the fruit with the rest of the filling ingredients until blended. Pour into the prepared baking dish and set aside.

3- To make the topping, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla until well blended. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and, using a rubber spatula, fold gently until the flour is moistened and the mixture forms a soft dough.

4- Drop heaping spoonfuls of the mixture onto the fruit, spacing them evenly over the surface. The topping will not completely cover the fruit, but it will smoosh together during baking. Bake until the topping is browned , the filling is bubbling, and a toothpick inserted into the topping comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

This serves 8 to 10 and is splendid served warm with a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream. It can also be served at room temperature.