Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Southern Charm


This past Sunday, for Company Dinner, we decided to do the first burger/hot dog cookout of the year. We couldn't have planned it better. The weather was perfect for grilling, and I think its been long enough since the last burger/dog grill out that we all were in the mood for it anyways. I decided at the last minute to do a dessert, and I decided that a Southern dessert was in order. I turned to the queen of Southern hospitality, Paula Deen, and a yet unused cook book from my collection.

The Lady & Sons Just Desserts is a cookbook that I look through often, I just haven't made anything out of it. It just all sounds so decadent, or it calls for ingredients I don't have on hand at the time. This was also the case with this week's choice, but I quickly remedied that one. The Lady & Sons' Peach Cobbler was calling my name, and all I needed to put it together was some self-rising flour. Not usually a staple in my kitchen, it certainly will be now because this peach cobbler was luscious. It was decadent and sweet, and so darn good!

The procedure was different, I will say that. The first step was to melt the butter in a baking dish, then pour the batter onto that, and THEN put the peaches and their syrup on the top. When it goes into the oven, magic happens, and the batter rises to the top, creating a cakey crust while the peaches sink to the bottom and turn into the sweet and gooey goodness one expects from a peach cobbler. Texture wise, it's very similar to a pudding cake, and just as delicious. This one will be made often this coming summer for cookouts and such because it really was very easy to make. My only complaint is that I didn't check the date on my flour when I bought it. It has a best by date of next month, and with leavening in it, I suspect I need to adhere to the date. So I'll be in search of recipes that use self-rising flour over the next few weeks or so.The Lady & Sons' Peach Cobbler fills the need for a sweet and gooey dessert, and checks another book off my list. Thanks Paula Deen!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

We call this Rose Pie at my house. You can use all kinds of fruit fillings for it. FYI, in the future, you can make your own self rising flour if you need it and are out of it or can't run to the grocery store. I'm not sure of the ratios, but it is easy to find online. Hope your guests enjoyed it. I think it was a perfect dessert for a cookout!

janelle said...

Yummy peach cobbler: how summery!

You are such a great baker---I need to learn!

Erika W. said...

Rose Pie! Claire, is that named for someone? I remember thinking at the time that apple would be excellent as well, but now I'm thinking about other fruits. Hmmm.

Janelle, the real difference between baking and cooking is that baking is more exact. Most often you can't just add a pinch of this, or a dash of that, it throws off the balance of the baked good. As long as you can read and follow a recipe (which I know you're good at) you can bake anything. :-)