Peach and Blueberry Cobbler with Cinnamon Streusel

I cannot begin to express how much I appreciated every single comment that was left for me, when I posted my poignant goodbye to my beloved cat. I wrote that post, the day before my kitty had to be put to sleep. It was part of my healing/acceptance process that "Tiger Lily's" loud purr would be silenced. Her spirit is forever my heart. Thank you for your compassion, encouragement and sympathy. It really helped. I miss my furry friend, but life goes on. Yes, I have fourteen years of great memories that I will never forget. Each day gets a little better.

Yesterday, I decided to make my first fruit cobbler. I've always meant to make one, but I suppose that I've always been a big fan of fruit crisps/crumbles. I had a bag of frozen peaches...

...and some fresh blueberries. I first tried pairing these two fruits when I made a Peaches & Blueberry crisp, two years ago and I liked it.

Ina Garten's Peaches & Blueberry Crumble

I had bookmarked a recipe for a Berry Cobbler from "Our Best Bites". I liked that this cobbler was more like the traditional versions I've seen on other blogs. I had all the ingredients, on hand, so I decided that some baking therapy is just what I needed to snap out of my funk.

I gave the peaches a quick partial thaw, by washing them with warm water.

One of my favorite pie or fruit dessert "secret" ingredients is Instant ClearJel. It's a pie filling thickener that is added to the sugar. It helps to thicken my pies perfect-- no runny fruit! Sure, you can use flour (which I think tends to muddy flavors), cornstarch or even tapioca. To me, this is my #1 choice thickener. I added 2 Tablespoons of the Instant ClearJel to about 3/4 cup white sugar (you can add less, if you prefer).

I added a bit of lemon zest, reserving most of the zest for the cobbler dough.

Some fresh lemon juice is always a good thing, I think...

I tossed in the sugar-Instant Clear Jel and set the fruit aside.

The cobbler dough is very basic-- 3 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, lemon (or orange) zest, and cold butter. One of my favorite baking tricks is to grate either frozen or cold butter. It makes it much easier to cut into the flour. Try it! You want to mix the butter in, just until everything becomes crumbly. Don't go nuts, here, or you'll end up with very tough dough.

Now, add 2 beaten eggs and one cup of heavy cream. Yes, heavy cream. Trust me.

Very gently, mix until all is combined. Some lumps are fine.

Grease a 9X13 baking dish. Press about 1 1/2 cups of the dough onto the bottom. I didn't photograph this, as my hands were coated with sticky dough. Add the fruit...

"Drop" the remaining dough on top of the fruit. I like to use one of my smaller scoops, which makes this easier. To make the streusel, grate some more butter, add it to flour and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Combine until crumble and distribute evenly on top.

I love cinnamon. Yes, I do.

The oven is preheated to 350F. Bake 45-55 minutes, or until the crust is a light golden brown. Get ready for your kitchen to smell like cinnamon and baked goodness!

My first cobbler!

The topping does resemble cobblestones... I wonder, if this is the origin of this dishes' name?

I let this dessert cool until just warm.

I was pleased to see that the fruit wasn't runny. The dough looks very tender. Let's dig in!

I have nothing against fresh whipped cream. But vanilla ice cream reigns supreme in our home.

TASTING NOTES: Oh, wow! The cobbler is really tender. The sweetness isn't over-the-top. The cinnamon streusel is a perfect compliment to peaches and the very slight tartness of the blueberries. The lemon zest adds a beautiful note to the whole dish. I'm loving this dish! My husband loved it, too. I had no idea that cobbler has great childhood memories for him. This is a very simple dessert to make. The next time I make this, I would add double the amount of peaches. The frozen peaches worked perfectly, so I can make this year-round -- even during cold winter months, when I'd like to have a taste of summer. This cobbler is going to be made with different variations of berries. While I always thought I loved fruit crisps best, I am a true convert! Great recipe!