Strawberry Peach Cobbler with Almond Biscuit Topping

I’ve never combined strawberries and peaches in a baked dessert before and now that I’ve tried it, I’m not sure why I waited so long.  Two of my all-time favorite desserts are Peach Cobbler and Strawberry Shortcake and this cobbler basically combines the two flavors – especially if you top it with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

This week marks the beginning of Summer Fest, a season-long celebration of fresh fruits and vegetables in which a group of fun food bloggers join up with The Food Network Dish to share weekly recipes and tips surrounding a specific topic.  I’ve participated in the past and am excited to be on board again.  This week we’re all talking about berries so I decided to stick with strawberries since I’ve been learning so much about them lately.

Here’s an interesting tidbit that I learned on the Strawberry tour that I just hadn’t really thought about before.  Since strawberries are so delicate and perishable, they are not washed or cleaned in any way before being packaged for the grocery store.  When they are picked in the field, they are put directly into the container that you buy at the store.  Because of this, you should wash them before eating, but you should never wash strawberries until you are ready to eat them.  If you wash them and then try to store them in the refrigerator, they won’t last nearly as long (which is why they aren’t washed before being sold).  Also, always store strawberries in the refrigerator!  They won’t last long at all if you keep them on the counter.

I hope you’ll visit some of the other Summer Fest blogs to see what other berries are being talked about today.  The list of links is below the recipe and they will also be available to peruse on the group Pinterest Board, if you’re into that kind of thing.

Enjoy the cobbler!

Strawberry Peach Cobbler with Almond Biscuit Topping

Filling:
4 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons instant tapioca, ground into powder*
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom**
pinch of salt

Topping:
1 cup White Lily all-purpose flour***
1/4 cup almond meal
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, beaten
3 tablespoons milk, buttermilk, or half and half
coarse sugar for decoration (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Put peaches and strawberries in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together brown sugar, tapioca powder, cardamom, and salt, breaking up any lumps in the brown sugar.  Stir sugar mixture into the fruit and pour into a 2-quart baking dish; set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, almond meal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Work butter pieces into the flour using your fingertips or a pastry blender until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs and no large pieces of butter are visible.

4. In a measuring cup, whisk together the egg and milk.  Pour egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until all the flour has been incorporated.

5. Drop the topping mixtures by large spoonfuls over the peaches and strawberries and sprinkle the whole thing with coarse sugar, if desired.

6. Bake cobbler in the middle of a 375 degree oven for 27-30 minutes, turning the pan halfway through the cooking time to ensure even browning. Cobbler is done when the filling is bubbly, the biscuit topping is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted through the thickest part of the topping comes out clean.

Recipe notes:

*After experimenting with different thickeners, I’ve found that I like tapioca the best, but it works better ground into a powder (or just use tapioca flour if you have it) when used in a cobbler where the filling is partially exposed – the little beads that are left exposed on top  turn hard in the heat of the oven.  I just keep some instant tapioca in the pantry and grind it up for cobblers, but if you don’t have a way to grind it, you may substitute flour or corn starch for the tapioca.

**If you don’t like cardamom or don’t have any on hand, you may leave out the spice completely or substitute with cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger.

***I tested this recipe using White Lily all-purpose flour, which isn’t available in all parts of the country, because it produces a very tender biscuit topping.  If you don’t have access to White Lily, you can substitute 3/4 cup of another brand of all-purpose flour mixed with 1/4 cup cake flour OR 1 cup King Arthur Unbleached Cake Flour Blend (those two options will give you results similar to using White Lily) OR just use whatever all-purpose flour you have on hand – the topping might be slightly tougher but it will still be delicious and you probably won’t notice.  If you prefer to use White Lily Self-Rising Flour, leave out the baking powder and salt in the recipe (I haven’t tested this, but it should work fine).

Related Recipes:

• Strawberry Shortcake
• Strawberry Blueberry Buttermilk Cake
• Strawberry Ice Cream
• Strawberry Freezer Jam

More Strawberry Recipes around the Web:

• Strawberry Frozen Yogurt from David Lebovitz
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie from Joy the Baker
• Strawberry Lemonade from Laylita’s Recipes
• Strawberry Summer Cake from Smitten Kitchen

Berry Recipes from my Summer Fest Friends:

• Feed Me Phoebe:  Gluten-Free Blueberry-Almond Pancakes
• The Lemon Bowl:  Strawberry Mango Chia Smoothie
• Dishin & Dishes:  Crunchy Topped Blueberry White Chocolate Muffins
• Jeanette’s Healthy Living:  Gingered Blueberry Shortcakes With Light Creamy Topping
• Taste With The Eyes:  Blueberry Limoncello Pavlova
• Sweet Life Bake:  Paletas de Fresca y Aguacate
• Napa Farmhouse 1885:  Mixed Berry Tea Cake
• Red or Green?:  Strawberry & Blueberry Crisp (Red or Green-style)
• Virtually Homemade:  Blueberry Mint Margaritas
• Haute Apple Pie:  Triple Berry Ice Cream
• Cooking With Elise:  Dehydrating Blueberries, Plus Blueberry and White Chocolate Cookies
• Devour:  Four Healthy Berry Recipes
• Domesticate Me:  Summer Berry Crisp
• Weelicious:  Brainy Breakfast
• The Sensitive Epicure:  Strawberries With White Balsamic Vinegar Caramel, Orange Zest and Black Pepper
• Daily*Dishin:  Fresh and Easy Blueberry Pie
• From My Corner of Saratoga:  Mixed Berry Freezer Pops
• FN Dish:  Wake Up With Berries

How You Can Join Summer Fest:

Have a recipe or tip that fits any of our weekly themes? You can contribute to our online recipe swap in various ways, big or small.

Contribute a whole post, or a comment—whatever you wish. It’s meant to be fun, viral, fluid. No pressure, just delicious. Simply leave your tip or recipe or favorite links in the comments below a Summer Fest post on my blog, and then go visit my collaborators and do the same.

Or think bigger: Publish entire posts of your own, if you wish, and grab the juicy Summer Fest tomato badge (illustrated by Matt of Matt Bites).

To join the Summer Fest conversation on twitter, use the hash tag #SummerFest

Summer Fest 2013 Posting Schedule

June 19: Berries
June 26: Peas

July 3: Corn
July 10: Tomatoes
July 17: Watermelon
July 24: Cucumbers
July 31: Peaches

August 7: Eggplant
August 14: Avocados
August 21: Peppers
August 28: Figs

September 4: Beets
September 11: Grapes
September 18: Potatoes