omnomnom | CC's Peach Cobbler And Peach Fried Pies (Reply)

My grandmother started teaching me to cook when I was five and this cobbler is one of the first things she taught me to make. Mema made cobbler unlike any I have ever seen and it is so good I don't want to the recipie to die out or be lost. Every time I take this to a potluck I come home with a dish that has been scraped empty and tons of requests for the recipie. Please don't be tempted to use canned pie filling, this filling is easy to make and is intensely peach flavored, not to sweet and not too spicy.

Crust:
1 stick of butter
1 cup self - rising flour
1 c. sugar
1 c. milk

Filling:
· 1 cup sugar
· 4 cups fresh (or frozen and thawed) peach slices, peeled
· 4 whole cloves
· 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
· 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice added to cold water to make 1/8 c.
· 1/8 cup cornstarch

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, combine the sugar, peach slices, cloves, and nutmeg. Mix until blended. Bring mixture to a boil; turn down heat and allow mixture to simmer until the peaches are softened, 20 to 25 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the peaches from the saucepan and place in a small bowl. Reserve 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the peach liquid in the saucepan and discard the rest. Return the peaches to the saucepan.
In a small bowl, whisk until smooth the lemon juice /water and the cornstarch. Whisk cornstarch mixture into the peach mixture, stirring until combined. Bring mixture to a boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to keep from sticking; mixture will be very thick. Transfer peach mixture to a clean bowl and chill for 1 hour, or until completely chilled. Remove cloves before baking.

Melt butter in a large casserole dish. When melted pour in peach filling. Combine crust ingredients and whisk until smooth. Pour crust batter over filling and bake at 350 deg. for 1 hour or until crust is cooked through and golden brown. If crust is getting to dark loosely cover with tin foil and continue baking.
Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream. Can substitute apples, berries, cherries , etc. for the peaches. You can also use this filling for pie, fried pies / pasties, ice cream topping , crepe filling etc.

For Fried Pies....
Crust:
· 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting the work surface
· 3 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for sprinkling the pies
· 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 4 tablespoons cream cheese, diced and chilled
· 9 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening, chilled, plus more for frying
· 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

To make the crust, sift together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the chilled cream cheese and shortening and, working with your hands or a fork, mix until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time and gently mix until the dough begins to stick together. Form dough into a round disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Remove from the refrigerator and divide the dough into 8 equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each dough piece into a thin circle, about 6-inches in diameter. Place 1/4 cup of the chilled peach filling into the center of each dough round. Fold the dough over, making a half-moon shaped pastry, trim any excess dough leaving a 1/2-inch edge around the filling, and crimp the edges together with a fork. Chill pies for 30 minutes.

In a large heavy skillet, melt vegetable shortening to a depth of about 1/2-inch. Heat the shortening to 350 degrees F. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with paper towels and sprinkle sugar lightly over the paper towels. Fry pies in skillet, in batches, until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to the paper towel-lined baking sheet and sprinkle the tops of the pies with sugar. Serve immediately with vanilla bean ice cream.