Summertime

And just like that, summer is [edit: almost] over. I’ve had quite an adventure the past couple months, and I feel like I owe you all an explanation for my silence. Maybe I don’t owe you an explanation, because that makes it sounds like I’ve done something very wrong, but I’d like to reconnect with you as a reader of this blog. I appreciate that some of you check in with me and ask, “Have you been baking?” which I usually respond to by spewing excuse after excuse why I have not been baking. If you’ve asked me that question this summer, you might have gotten one (or all) of these answers:

“I’m going to Thailand!”
“I’m in Thailand!”
“I’m jet lagged!”
“I’m busy preparing for a company conference!”
“I’m at a company conference!”
“We’re getting ready to move!”
“We’re moving!”
“Well, we haven’t moved yet, but my stuff is in storage!”

That is the rundown of my summer. Tim and I flew to Bangkok for a family reunion, celebrating both of my grandmothers’ birthdays and eating nonstop. I’m saving those juicy details for another post. Right before we traveled to Southeast Asia, we found an apartment we love in Long Island City and signed a contract to buy it. And because our plans don’t always work out accordingly, we had to vacate our previous apartment before closing on the new apartment. Where am I living now, and where is my stuff?

Well, my gracious sister-in-law and her husband are letting us stay with them until we close, and our stuff is packed away in storage. We’re lucky to have them in our lives, and it’s been a lot of fun staying with them. Our two-week-long slumber party has consisted of playing Mafia II (Tim is really good at action-adventure games by the way), watching Mad Men, Skyping our parents, and most fun of all, playing with the silliest Yorkie-Poo I’ve ever met.

It’ll be bittersweet when we do close on our new place. I’ll get back to baking and you’ll see more posts from me, but then I won’t have a family of four to cook for, and I’ll also have to say goodbye to this adorable little guy. Woof!

Peach Cobbler

Summer has come and gone, and it sure went by fast. My summer lacked the usual baking, due to the very little desire I had to actually turn on the oven. So what did I do? I grilled and I cooked. And grilled. Nothing encapsulates summer better than grilling, right? I'd go into the stories and recipes behind my summer food if this blog were called Talida Grills, but since this is Talida Bakes, I'll stick with the baked goods.

Way back for Labor Day, my friend Christina of Recette (new restaurant coming soon!) had a BBQ at her new place and stuffed us silly with ribs, chicken, hanger steak, bratwurst, and duck, and even forced us to take the mound of leftovers home with us. After all that meat, it was a miracle people saved room for dessert. But I'm so glad they did, because I prepared a peach cobbler I made as a last hurrah to summer. Now that the weather's cooled down some, I'm ready to turn on that oven and get back to baking.


Peach Cobbler
adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:
for the filling
2 1/2 pounds peaches, ripe but firm
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
pinch table salt

for the topping
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter (cold), cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/3 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Directions:
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. For the filling: Peel peaches, then halve and pit each. Cut each half into 4 wedges. Gently toss peaches and sugar together in large bowl; let stand for 30 minutes, tossing several times.
3. Drain peaches in colander set over large bowl. Whisk 1/4 cup of drained juice (discard extra), cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt together in small bowl. Toss peach juice mixture with peach slices and transfer to 8-inch-square glass baking dish.
4. Bake until peaches begin to bubble around edges, about 10 minutes.
5. For the topping: While peaches are baking, in food processor, pulse flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to combine. Scatter butter over and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, about ten 1-second pulses.
6. Transfer to medium bowl; add milk and toss with rubber spatula until cohesive dough is formed. (Don't overmix dough or biscuits will be tough.) Break dough into 6 evenly sized but roughly shaped mounds and set aside.
7. To assemble and bake: After peaches have baked 10 minutes, remove peaches from oven and place dough mounds on top, spacing them at least 1/2 inch apart (they should not touch). Sprinkle each mound with portion of remaining 1 teaspoon sugar.
8. Bake until topping is golden brown and fruit is bubbling, 16 to 18 minutes. Cool cobbler on wire rack until warm, about 20 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.