My grandmother used to make peach cobbler in her skillet when my family came for a visit. She never used a recipe, though. This recipe for Peach and Blueberry Crumble marries the southern tradition of peach cobblers with a Maine blueberry crumble, uniting my childhood home with my adopted state.
Serves 6 to 8
2 pounds fresh, ripe peaches
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar, divided
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 3/4-inch cubes, plus additional softened butter for greasing the skillet
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a deep cast iron 10-inch skillet with softened butter.
Either peel the peaches with a serrated vegetable peeler or bring a large pot of water to a boil and peel the peaches by immersing them in boiling water for 30 seconds and then running them under cold water and using a paring knife to slip off the skins. Discard the peach stones, and thinly slice the peaches.
Combine the cornstarch, lemon juice, and 1/3 cup brown sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk well. Add the peaches and blueberries and toss to coat the fruit evenly.
Combine the remaining brown sugar and the oats, flour, ginger, cinnamon and salt in another mixing bowl, and whisk well. Add the butter, cutting it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
Arrange the fruit in an even layer in the prepared skillet and sprinkle the topping over the fruit. Bake the crumble for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the top is browned. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.
– Meredith Goad
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