Monty, my husband loves peach cobbler. I made several in the past, but this one came from the Baking Book I got for Christmas. I didn't have the pistachio (that was what the recipe called for), so I substituted it with hazelnut.
Recipe for Peach & Hazelnut Cobbler
For the Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
3 cans of peach halves in light syrup
For the Topping:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped finely
1-4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup unsalted butter cut into 1/2 cubes
3/4 cup milk
Ground cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease 9-by-13 inch baking dish with a 2-qt capacity.
To make the filling, in a small bowl. stir together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Place the peaches in a large bowl, sprinkle with the sugar mixture, and toss to distribute evenly. Spread peach mixture in the prepared baking dish and set aside while you prepare the topping.
To make the topping, in a large bowl, mix together the flour, toasted hazelnuts, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse meal, leaving some pieces of butter about the size of small peas. Add the milk and stir just until the mixture pulls together.
Pinch off chunks of the dough and place them on top of the peach mixture, covering it nearly completely.
In a small bowl , mix together 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1 tbsp sugar and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of the dough. Bake until the topping is firm and golden brown and the filling bubbles slowly, 45-60 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes before serving.
Serving tip: Accompany the cobbler with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream or a splash of heavy cream.
Today I had a craving for Pinoy/Filipino food. Since I married Monty, I seldom cook traditional Filipino food. My husband doesn't like it except adobo, lumpiang shanghai and my pancit. I thought that I will give him another chance to really enjoy Filipino dishes. From the grocery, I got this pork picnic (that's what the label said..I thought that it was a piece of pork thigh). I cross-hatched the skin & seasoned it liberally with salt & pepper. Oven roasted the pork picnic @ 325 degrees for 4 hours. It turned out looking like "lechon".
This is my first dessert for 2011. My dear brother gave me the WILLIAMS-SONOMA BAKING BOOK for Christmas. While flipping through the pages, my husband saw a recipe for this pie. Monty loves coconut pie. So, for this relaxing Sunday afternoon, I decided to make this pie from scratch, including the flaky pastry dough.
Flaky Pastry Dough recipe to follow
COCONUT CUSTARD PIE
1 1/2 cups flaked dried coconut
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest, grated
Bake pastry dough in a 9-inch pie pan or dish.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spread coconut flakes evenly on a baking sheet and bake until lightly golden, about 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and salt until blended. Add the flour, milk, melted butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest and mix well. Stir in the toasted coconut flakes and mix to combine. Pour the mixture into the baked crust.
Bake the pie until the top is golden and the filling is firm in the center, 45-55 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool completely. Serve at room temperature.
