Lattice Peach Cobbler| chaserivers

Lattice

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

Note: You will need a kitchen scale for this recipe.

Pastry Dough

14 ounces all purpose flour (weight)

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon sugar

6 1/2 ounces (13 tablespoons) cold, unsalted butter

1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) cold lard, cubed (Morrell Snow Cap Lard)

3 1/2 ounces ice cold water (weight)

Turbinado sugar (coarse)

Pastry roller blade

12"x 9"x 2" baking dish

Filling

3 pounds freestone peaches, ripened

3/4 cup sugar plus 2-3 tablespoons, depending on sweetness of peaches.

2 small sized, vanilla beans or 1 large

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 1/2 tablespoons corn starch

1/2 cup pineapple juice

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft

Butter pecan ice cream

"Fresh peaches with pineapple juice, spicy ginger & cinnamon and butter, topped with a French pastry lattice, baked golden and served with butter pecan ice cream"

Lattice

Lightly flour the pastry mat and place one of the discs on top. If the dough is too cold to roll out, let sit until it softens some. Roll the dough out to an oblong 12 inch length with a 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out 5 strips about 1 1/2-2 inches wide and set aside. Place the second disc on your work surface and repeat, rolling out to a 9 inch length, cutting out 7 strips.

Add the peach filling to the baking dish, scraping out all liquid, then smooth out the top. Create your lattice by placing a long strip lengthwise in the center of dish. Evenly space out the remaining 4 strips, 2 on each side. Fold back the center strip and then skip one and fold back, repeating on other side. Add a short strip widthwise to the center and repeat steps. Trim off if needed and then place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Place oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425F.

Remove cobbler from freezer and sprinkle Turbinado sugar onto the lattice. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes reduce heat to 375F and bake 25-30 more minutes until golden on top. Remove from oven, let cool and serve with butter pecan ice cream.

Directions

Pastry Dough

Add the flour, salt and sugar to a large bowl and whisk to distribute evenly. Add the cubed butter and lard and cut into the flour using a pastry blender until butter is about the size of tip of pinky finger. Drizzle the water evenly over the top, stir in a circular motion using your index finger and incorporate by squeezing everything together with your hands. Pour out onto your work surface and press firmly together. To create layers, fold the dough in half, press flat and repeat. Cut in half and place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap. Fold plastic over the top, flatten and shape into discs. Place pastry dough in the refrigerator to rest 1 hour or up to overnight.

Peach Preparation

Note: If peaches aren't too soft a vegetable peeler can be used instead of blanching them.

Clean the peaches and remove any pesticides by adding to a large bowl of tepid water mixed with 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Let soak 15 minutes, drain and rinse 2-3 times.

Make an ice bath to drop peaches in after blanching. Cut a small x into the bottoms of each peach to help loosen skins during process. Bring a 2-3 quart pot of water to a simmer and drop 2-3 peaches in the water. After 30-45 seconds remove from water and drop in the ice bath to cool. Repeat until all peaches are ready to peel. Using a pairing knife, remove the skins and place on a plate. Slice the peaches in half to remove the pits. Turn peaches cut side down, cut into wedges and add to a skillet.

Note: For a runnier filling use 3 tablespoons corn starch. For a more syrupy filling use 3 1/2 tablespoons corn starch.

Slice the vanilla beans open and scrape out the beans/caviar. Add the sugar to a small bowl and incorporate the vanilla into the sugar using your fingers. Pour sugar over the peaches and then add the remaining ingredients and gently mix. Turn the heat on low to medium-low to warm the mixture. This will help incorporate all of the flavors evenly and to taste for any adjustments with sugar & spices you may want. Remove from heat an let come to room temperature.