LIMONCELLO-ALMOND PEACH COBBLER

Last year I made Williams Sonoma's Summer Fresh Peach Cobbler, and it was wonderful. This year, I tried to improve on it. With a rating of 10 out of 10, there wasn't much room to make it any better, but I wanted to try anyway. Since I love frangipane (peach, pear or any other kind), I thought I would work off the idea of using almond meal in the dough. And since I love Cook's Illustrated vodka pie crust, I thought I would sub Limoncello (a lemonny vodka liqueur) for the water in the dough. I also subbed some white whole wheat flour for part of the all-purpose, and used Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend in place of butter. And I put some Limoncello in the filling.

No disappointments here. Though the crust flavor was not like a frangipane, there definitely was a difference. It was light, flaky and tender and had lots of flavor thanks to the almonds and Limoncello.

Yes, I'll be making this again, for sure. Guy requested it.

Limoncello-Almond Peach Cobbler

Adapted from Williams Sonoma Summer Fresh Cobbler

Rating: 10 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 1/4 cup almond meal ***see note below

1/3 cup white whole wheat flour

2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. sea salt

3 Tbsp. sugar for crust + 1/3 cup for filling + 1 tsp. for topping

8 Tbsp. Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend cut into small pieces, divided use

1 egg, divided use

3 Tbsp. Limoncello, divided use

4 cups sliced peaches (about 2 lbs)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1-1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

In work bowl of food processor, combine almond meal, flours, 3 Tbsp. sugar and salt; pulse to combine. Add 7 Tbsp. SB and pulse till mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. SB pieces should be no larger than small peas. In small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and 2 Tbsp. Limoncello; pour over flour mixture and pulse in quick, short motions till dough pulls together. Do not overmix. Transfer dough to work surface; divide into two pieces. Pat each into a ball, then into discs. Refrigerate, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 30 minutes. (Freeze for up to 3 months. )

Heat oven to 425F. Butter a 1-1/2 quart rectangular, square or round baking dish; set aside. In large bowl, stir together peaches, 1/3 cup sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, Limoncello, and cinnamon. Transfer to baking dish; dot with remaining 1 Tbsp. butter. Roll out 1 disc of pastry dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4" thickness and sized to fit inside the top of your baking pan. Lay the pastry dough over the peaches and trim edges as desired. Whisk the egg white in a small bowl; brush the top of the pastry dough with the egg white and sprinkle with the remaining tsp. of sugar. Bake 10 minutes at 425F, then reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 55 minutes, or till juices bubble and crust is nicely browned. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. Yield: 5-6 servings

***If you don't have almond meal, not to worry -- you can make your own very easily.

A GREAT PEACH COBBLER

Company for dinner on Sunday gave me an excuse to make a dessert. Our dinner was so very good. We had clam chowder followed by Tyler Florence's iceberg lettuce wedges and cherry tomatoes with bleu cheese dressing (recipes coming), herbed garlic bread,crabs and spaghetti, and steamed crabs. Dessert was this fabulous peach cobbler that I found on Williams Sonoma's website. Honestly, this is the one. The crust is tender, yet has the texture you want for a cobbler -- crisp but tender -- and the flavor
is wonderful. The peaches have just
enough juice and there is no overbearing sweetness -- instead you get the full flavor of the fruit. This is a great recipe. But then, it's just what you would expect from Williams Sonoma. I did make a few changes: In an effort to use up my homemade peach preserves, I subbed them for the white sugar in the recipe. The topping was also my idea, instead of vanilla ice cream, trying to save some calories, and it also tasted good.
All in all, a perfect night -- great friends, good food and good conversation.

Summer Fresh Peach Cobbler, adapted
--Williams Sonoma Kitchen
Rating: 10 out of 10
Click to PRINT RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
1/3 cup white sugar (or peach preserves
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1-1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. lemon juice
dash fresh-grated nutmeg or mace
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1/2 batch cobbler dough (see recipe)
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 425F. In a large bowl, stir together the peaches, preserves (or sugar), brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and nutmeg. Transfer to a 1-1/2 quart baking dish and scatter the butter pieces on top.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the cobbler dough 1/4" thick. Place on top of the peach filling. Brush the dough with the beaten egg white and sprinkle with 1 tsp. sugar. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 350F and bake until the topping is nicely browned and filling is bubbly, 50 - 60 minutes more. Transfer pan to wire rack and let cool about 30 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or topping recipe below. Yield: 4-6 servings

Cobbler Dough
1-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. sea salt
7 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4" cubes
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. very cold water (you may need a little more)

In food processor, combine first 4 ingredients and pulse till mixture resembles cornmeal, with the butter in very small pieces, no larger than small peas. In a small bowl, mix together the egg yolk, vanilla and cold water. Add the liquid all at once to the flour mixture and pulse just till dough pulls together. If it seems too dry, add more cold water, 1 tsp. at a time; try not to overmix.

Transfer dough to a work surface; pat into a ball and flatten into a dish. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Yield: enough for 2 cobblers (freeze one half)

Low-Calorie Mock Creme Fraiche Topping
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup Cool Whip Lite or Non-Fat Frozen and Thawed Whipped Topping
1/4 cup Lite Sour Cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together. Spoon a dollop on each serving of peach cobbler.