Peach Cobbler

Normally when I hear the word "cobbler" it speaks to me of dedication and of serious baking. However that doesn't have to be true! This easy dessert is pretty, quite sweet, and homey. It will leave you wanting more.

When I inevitably end up with several cans of peaches "in light syrup", I like to make this recipe, because it gives me an excuse to bake while feeling resourceful. You can make it with fresh OR frozen peaces too, but canned turns out delicious, and they are extremely cheap. I added lemon juice to the original recipe, as canned peaches are already quite sweet, and I like to have a little bit of tartness in my baked fruit. Because the batter is rice flour based, simply substitute frozen peaches for canned, and you've got yourself a corn free, gluten free cobbler! (Rice milk could also probably be substituted for cow's milk, in the case of a dairy allergy, though I haven't tried it.)

What you will need:

Fruit layer:

• 16-20 ounces canned peaches (about two 15 oz. cans)
  
• 2-4 tablespoons sugar, to taste
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rice flour
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (optional)

Batter:

• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/3 cup rice flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Scant 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a pie plate or casserole dish.

- Drain the corn syrup from the peaches and place in a bowl or in the baking dish. Add remaining ingredients for the fruit layer and mix well. Adjust the lemon and sugar measurements to your taste, keeping in mind that the lemon flavor will fade during baking more than the sweetness. If your peach pieces seem large, cut them into smaller pieces with your spoon or fork. Place in the bottom of the baking dish if you have not already done so.

-In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and egg white. Beat until light and smooth. Stir in the remaining ingredients. If you're like me and you're equipped with only a fork for mixing, beating works very well in eliminating those pesky rice flour lumps.

-Pour over the fruit. It does not matter if all the pieces of fruit are not fully covered, but in my experience, there's enough to go around.

-Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the crust tests cleanly and the top is a dark golden color and is slightly firm to the touch. Any visible juices will be opaque and bubbly.

**If using frozen peaches, adjust baking time to about 55-65 minutes, to account for the peaches being rather cold :-P

The result?



My favorite way to eat this sweet, homey dessert is to heat it (either in the oven or microwaved for about 40 seconds), and then add a tiny handful of semisweet chocolate chips and allow them to melt for about 30 seconds, and then top it with a heaping scoop of french vanilla ice cream. Delicious!


**A note for those new to gluten free baking: There are two ingredients in this recipe you may not have worked with before.

• Rice flour is a fantastic gluten free baking flour and pretty easy to find. Bob's Red Mill sells it by the bag, for $2-$4, and stores such as Winco that sport a large bulk section usually have rice flour for about $0.76 a pound. I like to buy a huge bag of the stuff and it lasts me for weeks.
  
• Xanthan gum is a binder, which is what gluten would normally do in wheat flour, etc. and is extremely crucial for gluten free baking. It is also sold by the bag by Bob's Red Mill, but it's a little trickier to find. Here in the Eugene/ Springfield area, I buy it at Capella market, where they have a very large selection of gluten free foods. It is about $12 per bag, but do not despair! At the most, two table spoons of xanthan gum is used at a time, and usually much much less. Since I began baking about 10 months ago, I have only had to buy xanthan gum twice, once initially, and one refill, and I'm still working on my second bag. If you plan to do gluten free baking, it is worth the investment.
  

(This recipe was an adjusted version of the fruit layer from the corn based peach cobbler and the batter from the rice based blueberry cobbler from Roben Ryber's "You Won't Believe It's Gluten Free." Recipes for a cornstarch based batter, a potato starch based batter, and a blueberry fruit layer exist as well. )