Peach Cobbler
Photo: Carolina Ayala / Contributor
My first and only restaurant job in the late nighties was at the eponymous CafeAnnie, where I worked in the pastry division. As part of pastry prep, we made a giant berry cobbler with a ton of fresh raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries and a few roasted diced apples to give the cobbler body. We would keep the cobbler warm through lunch and dinner service and cut circular hunks of it, serve it topped off with vanilla bean ice cream. The edges around the wonderous cobbler were up for grabs and subsequently became my breakfast.
Two years later, when I left CafeAnnie, I had that recipe memorized and played around with versions at home. I eliminated the base layer of the cobbler and just kept the gooey fruit filling. The black pepper in the topping and the filling may sound unusual but it helps cut the sugar and adds another dimension of flavor. The biscuit crossed with a cake like topping is crunchy but soft and cakey inside. My favorite way to eat cobbler or any such warm fruity sweet is with a side of plain unsweetened cream. Give it a try, I promise it will not last long in your home.