Pecan-Peach Cobbler

I made this delectableness with fresh peaches the girls and I picked a few weeks ago. I really wanted to make a yummy peach dessert, and after a disastrous peach pie last year (which I did not post), I tried for a cobbler this time. I chose well.

When I say "I" made this cobbler, that's not exactly what I mean. For behold:Ed made the crust. After he came home from the store with the wrong thing (I said refrigerated pie dough, not frozen pie crusts), he said he would just make the crust. Which was fine with me. I don't make pie crusts. I think they're messy, time-consuming, and never taste that good, which makes them unworthy of my effort. So I buy them. Or in this case, have Ed made them. (By the way, if you think you have a truly outstanding pie crust recipe, send it my way. I would love to have a great one; I'm just not sure it exists.)

The crust plays a crucial role in this recipe because you pack sugar and pecans between layers of dough and that goes in the middle, and then on the top of the cobbler. Delish. And don't be shy about getting that middle crust nice and crisp since it will be sandwiched and surrounded by juicy peaches and syrup. And speaking of that syrup. In step 3 we spooned peaches into the dish with less syrup than in step 1 since the pan was getting full. We poured the leftover syrup into a container, refrigerated it, and had it over Double Coconut Pancakes later in the week. Just one more excellent choice we made that week.

Pecan-Peach Cobbler
15 to 18 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced (about 16 cups)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups sugar2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 (15-oz.) packages refrigerated piecrusts
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
5 tablespoons sugar, divided
Sweetened whipped cream
1. Preheat oven to 475°. Stir together peaches, flour, nutmeg, and 3 cups sugar in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Spoon half of mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

2. Unroll 2 piecrusts. Sprinkle 1/4 cup pecans and 2 Tbsp. sugar over 1 piecrust; top with other piecrust. Roll to a 14- x 10-inch rectangle. Trim sides to fit baking dish. Place pastry over peach mixture in dish.
3. Bake at 475° for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Unroll remaining 2 piecrusts. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. sugar and remaining 1/4 cup pecans over 1 piecrust; top with remaining piecrust. Roll into a 12-inch circle. Cut into 1-inch strips, using a fluted pastry wheel. Spoon remaining peach mixture over baked pastry. Arrange pastry strips over peach mixture; sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream.Recipe (and last photo) from Southern Living, June 2010