Grandma Potter's Peach Cobbler
Credit: Christopher Hirsheimer
SERVES 10
Gladys Potter, Rick Bayless's grandmother, was acclaimed in the family for this dessert.
FOR THE PASTRY:
2 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
16 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 oz. cold cream cheese, cut into pieces
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
2–3 tbsp. milk or half-and-half
2 tbsp. sugar
FOR THE FILLING:
5 lbs. ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1" pieces
1–1 1/4 cups sugar
5 tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
Heaping 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1. For the pastry: Put flour, salt, baking powder, butter, and cream cheese into a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, 6–10 pulses. Drizzle in vinegar and 3 tbsp. cold water and pulse until mixture begins to clump together (it won't form a ball), 6–10 pulses. Transfer to a large sheet of plastic wrap, press dough together, gather plastic wrap over dough, then flatten into a 10" square. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
2. For the filling: Combine peaches, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 400°. Cut off two-thirds of the dough, roll out on a floured surface into a 14" x 18" rectangle, and ease into a 9"x 13" baking dish. Brush rim of dough with milk, fill pastry with peaches, and dot with butter. Roll remaining dough out on floured surface into a 10"x14" rectangle, cut lengthwise into 12 strips, and lay on top of filling in a lattice pattern. Crimp and trim edges. Brush strips with milk and spinkle with remaining sugar. Bake for 15 minutes , reduce heat to 350°, and bake until pastry is golden brown, 30-40 minutes more. Let cool briefly before serving.
made this on a super hot summer day which led to challenges in rolling out the crust -- I might refrigerate for longer the next time I make this, or place it in the freezer for a brief while before handling it.