Old-Fashioned Peach Cobbler

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Butter a 2-quart (2-liter) glass or ceramic baking dish.

Arrange the peeled, thickly sliced peaches in the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with ½ cup sugar, the lemon zest and juice, the vanilla, and toss. Bake for 20 minutes until the peaches are tender, glazed and the juices are bubbling.

While the peaches are baking, make the cobbler dough by sifting the flour, baking powder and salt together into a large mixing bowl and then tossing with 1 tablespoon of the remaining sugar. Feel free to stir in a dash of ground cinnamon if you like. Cube the butter and toss in the flour then rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles cornmeal or damp sand. Whisk the egg into the milk then pour onto the flour mixture. Stir with a fork until well combined and mixture has become a thick batter.

Remove the cooked peaches from the oven and, working quickly, drop the dough by very large even spoonfuls onto the peaches. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of the sugar evenly over the dough and return the dish to the oven to bake for 15 – 20 minutes until the dough is puffed up, firm and golden brown.

Serve warm—not hot hot as fresh-from-the-oven fruit juices may burn!—with freshly whipped, slightly sweetened cream or a scoop of your favorite ice cream.