Peach Cobbler

Method

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1. Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F. Put the butter in a 2.5 litre baking dish and slide it into the oven to melt while it comes up to temperature.

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2. Toss the peaches with the sugar, lemon juice, cornflour, cinnamon and salt in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until the juices run and thicken slightly.

   Mark done Start 5 min timer

3. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, then whisk in the milk and vanilla to a smooth, pourable batter — about the thickness of double cream.

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4. Take the dish out; the butter should be melted and just beginning to sizzle. Pour the batter into the middle without stirring it into the butter.

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5. Spoon the hot peaches and their syrup evenly over the batter. Again, do not stir. The batter will come up around the fruit as it bakes.

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6. Scatter with demerara and bake 40 to 50 minutes, until the top is deep gold, the edges are crisp and a skewer in the batter between the fruit comes out clean.

   Mark done Start 40 min timer

7. Rest 15 minutes before spooning out.

   Mark done

Chef’s Tips

• Ripe peaches peel easily after 30 seconds in boiling water and a plunge into iced water. Under-ripe ones are not worth the fight — use tinned.
• Resist stirring at every stage. The layers separate and recombine in the oven, and stirring gives you a uniform pudding.
• Frozen peaches work; thaw and drain them first or the batter will not set.

Pairing Suggestions

• Vanilla ice cream
• Bourbon, neat
• Cold single cream

Storage & Reheating

Covered at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated for 4. Reheat at 180°C for 15 minutes; the edges crisp up again.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.