peach and pistachio cobbler

last hanukkah, marian gave me and kris a beautiful dessert cookbook called dulce: desserts from santa fe kitchens. the first time i looked through it i mentally noted a bunch of recipes to make. unfortunately for me, at the time, all the recipes i wanted to make used fruits that were not in season in december.

shawn and kate invited us over for dinner last night (for delicious homemade vegan pot pie) and i was in charge of dessert. while trying to decide what to make i realized that with delicious peaches, nectarines, apricots and strawberries everywhere, it was perfect timing to finally make one of the fruity desserts i've been dying to try. i settled on the peach and pistachio cobbler and served it with coconut sorbetto from ciao bella. here is the recipe with a few ingredient substitutions to make it vegan.


peach and pistachio cobbler
(from dulce, with minor changes)
filling ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 to 10 peaches, peeled, pitted, and sliced 1 inch thick

topping ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsalted pistachios, finely chopped
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup cold unsalted margarine, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

place rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350. grease a 12-inch oval or 9x13 inch baking dish.

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 the peach mixture in the prepared baking dish and set aside while you prepare the topping.

in a large bowl, mix together the flour, pistachios, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, and baking powder. using a pastry blender, or your fingers, cut margarine into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, leaving some pieces of margarine about the size of small peas. add coconut milk; 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. or, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to the same dimensions as the baking dish and carefully lay it over the filling.

in a small bowl, mix together cinnamon and 1 tablespoon sugar and sprinkle the mixture on the top of the dough. bake until topping is firm and golden brown, and filling bubbles slowly, 45 to 60 minutes. remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes before serving.

-d