The Peach Keeper

These are the peaches we picked. There's still time for you to get your own!

On Friday I announced that--for every 5 new people who joined the Facebook group--we would celebrate a (relatively unknown) holiday here on the blog. Well ... many new people "liked" our group (Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!) So today we are celebrating.

August is National Peach Month! So today I celebrated peaches with my family.

Early this morning, my family of 3 headed out to an orchard to enjoy a Red Haven peach harvest. (Let it be known that peaches are only 38 calories. And they boast immeasurable health benefits.) We picked until we could pick no more.

Once home, we colored with peach crayons, enjoyed peach iced tea, and read about the historical significance of the peach. (Did you know that the Chinese consider the peach tree to be the tree of life?)

Tonight, I threw together Martha Stewart's peach-blueberry cobbler using the peaches we picked (and the blueberries that jumped into our bucket).

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 3/4 pounds peaches, halved lengthwise, pitted, and cut into 3/4-inch-thick wedges (about 8 cups)
• 1 cup blueberries, (about 1/2 pint)
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon finely grated, peeled fresh ginger
• Salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, (1 stick), cut into small pieces
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream, plus more for brushing
• Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. with racks in upper and lower thirds. Stir together peaches, blueberries, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, the cornstarch, brown sugar, lemon juice, ginger, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Transfer to a 12-by-8 1/2-inch (2-quart) baking dish; set aside.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Cut butter into flour mixture using a pastry blender or 2 knives to form clumps that are no larger than small peas.
3. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into the cream; stir with a fork to combine. Discard pod. Add cream mixture to flour mixture; stir until a soft, sticky dough forms. Divide dough into 1o equal pieces; arrange over filling. Brush dough with cream, and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
4. Place a parchment-lined baking sheet on bottom rack of oven to catch juices. Bake cobbler on top rack directly over the baking sheet until topping is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 55 to 70 minutes. If topping is browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil. Let cool on a wire rack 1 hour before serving.

I'd say, overall, it's been a pretty peachy day.

(C'mon. You knew that was coming!)

Happy holiday--