Long Island Larder: Mind Your Peaches

By Miriam Ungerer

Probably nobody but crossword addicts know that "drupe" means any stone fruit, such as peaches, plums, apricots, and possibly avocados, although it's never been decided whether the avocado is properly a fruit or a vegetable. Drupe is as good a way out of this controversy as any. Most of them cohabit very successfully with ham, chicken, or game meats.

All these fruits, because they are delicate and difficult to grow in chilly climates, were first grown in the West in the hothouses of royalty and nobles. Commoners had to content themselves with apples and wild berries. They put those to delicious use once sugar became affordable, in jams, jellies, pies, and preserves.

But peaches remained the delights of the privileged and a special treat for the poor, even in the southern parts of the United States.

I recall a rambling conversation with Muhammad Ali while waiting in an airport (he did most of the conversing) that was mostly about Ali's mom's mouthwatering peach cobbler. He was in training and forbidden this yearned-for treat. But how he did go on about how much peach cobbler he was planning to eat after he won the fight in Vegas against Ron Lyle.

The rigors of training to be in shape for a fight was a much tougher battle for Ali than whatever went on in the ring, where he thought he'd always be able to "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee." And mostly he did, with only five losses in his remarkable career.

First, deciding on peaches for dessert isn't a last-minute option. They can ripen only up to a point while still on the tree; they're too vulnerable to handle at the dead-ripe stage you want them to be. So choose your beauties at least two days before you plan to use them. Keep them in a single layer on a bed of crumpled brown paper bags in a cool, dim, secluded spot (away from poachers) and turn them over once a day. When they give just a bit at the stem end they are ready - don't pinch, as that discolors peaches and starts them on the way to ruin.

Peaches are simple to skin, in the same way you do tomatoes. The fuzz absolutely must be removed before eating them or cooking them. Drop a few at a time into boiling water, count to 20, then put them in a basin of ice water. In a few seconds you can skin them after starting the process with a small dull knife (a clam knife for example). The skins will slip right off with your fingers.

Drop the peaches into a bowl of cool acidulated water (use either fresh lemon juice or a product called "Fruit Fresh," a powder that's found in all supermarkets, perhaps with canning supplies) to keep the fruit from discoloring, which it will in an alarmingly short time.

Peach Cobbler

An authentic peach cobbler does not have a bottom crust (because it would instantly become soggy) and is at least two inches deep in sweet, tender peaches. Use a wide earthenware casserole about three inches deep and 10 inches in diameter. Sometimes a lattice of short pastry is used as a top crust. The country version is topped with small, rich biscuits, placed fairly close together.

Makes one 10-inch pie.
8 or 9 firm ripe peaches, skinned

Juice of half a lemon
1 cup of white sugar (or more to taste)
Pinch salt
Freshly grated nutmeg
1 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with a bit of cool water
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small dice
1 half-pint heavy cream
1 Tbsp. good bourbon

Slice the peaches rather thickly and sprinkle them with the lemon juice. Mix them with the sugar and salt, and add a generous scraping of nutmeg over the surface. Stir everything together over medium heat, adding the cornstarch paste gradually. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Pour the peaches into a buttered casserole or deep pie pan. Meanwhile, make the biscuits quickly.

Rich Biscuit Dough
2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder
4 oz. butter
3/4 cup milk or half-and-half
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender or two table knives. Stir in enough of the cold milk to make a very soft dough. Knead it lightly for just a minute then pat it out on slightly floured pastry board. Using a small glass or cutter, cut out the biscuits. Place them fairly close together on top of the prepared peaches.

Bake in preheated oven for two minutes, then reduce the heat to 425 F. and bake 10 minutes. If the biscuits are browning too quickly, lay a loose piece of foil over them. Bake another five minutes, remove, and cool the cobbler to just warm.

Whip the cream to medium thickness with the bourbon. Put it in a bowl with a spoon to serve at table with the cobbler.