Peach Cobbler with Buttery Oatmeal Salted Pecan Topping
On one miserable, wet day in April, we celebrated Meg’s birthday. As a member of 
Kenilworth Garden Club, Meg’s sister Ann invited us to a presentation and lunch with James Farmer III. What greeted us inside was a perfect antidote to the grey day outside.
James Farmer III is an exuberant Southern gentleman with a comic repertoire. The American South runs through his veins undiluted, faithfully preserving and celebrating his lineage. From the backdrop of Atlanta peach fields and pecan groves grew James’s “seasonal garden living” and the idea that anyone can bring the outdoors indoors and make a seasonal dinner table splash. His heart really is where his home is and he celebrates his provenance with an enviable flair. He captivated us with familial anecdotes in a way which left us feeling like old friends and we adopted his mantra “flowers, fruit and foliage.”
As James’s talk came to a close, he emerged from behind a gigantic table arrangement which he’d been busy piecing together and the chatter gave way to a huge applause. The front cover of his latest book A Time To Cook, a bowl of peaches, radiates sunshine and sweetness from The South. Those peaches inspired us to adapt his recipe and Meg asked his permission there and then.
I’ve been inspired this week while on the Central Coast of California, wandering through Monterey farmers’ market tasting the different varieties of organic peaches in season. The perfect opportunity presented itself for us to enjoy this oat and salted pecan Peach Cobbler again.
Preparation Time 20 minutes
Cooking TIme 2 1/2 hrs HIGH or 5 hrs LOW
Servings 4-6
Ingredients
6 medium peaches, halved and pitted
1/2 cup ground pecans or almonds
1/3 cup soft brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup white wine
2 tbsp butter
Oatmeal and pecan topping
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup fine oatmeal
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
handful of salted pecans or almonds, chopped
Prepare the peaches and lay them skin side down in the bottom of your slow cooker.
Sprinkle the ground pecans, sugar, cinnamon and white wine over the peaches and dot the top with butter.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Stir the melted butter and milk into the oat mixture and scoop spoonfuls onto the peaches. Don’t worry if it is uneven, it will blend during cooking to form an even topping. Cook on high for 2 1/2 hours or low for 5 hours.
Once cooked sprinkle the top with salted pecans and serve with greek yogurt.
Zen Toolkit
Freestone varieties of peach tend to be larger and slightly firmer, and as their name suggests the stones are easier to remove. Choose a firmer peach variety for this recipe, the shape will hold up well during cooking.
Zen moment
“Like branches on a tree, our lives may grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one. All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today. Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”
-Anonymous
