Peach And Raspberry Cobbler W/buttermilk Biscuit Crust Pt 1

-CRUST-
3/4 c All purpose flour
3/4 c Cake flour
1/2 ts Salt
1 1/2 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Baking soda (if the dough is
-made with cream or milk,
-omit baking soda)
4 tb Cold; unsalted butter
2/3 c Buttermilk; cream or milk

-GLAZE-
1 tb Buttermilk; cream or milk
1 tb Sugar
One 1 1/2 quart ovenproof
-baking dish

To make the filling:

Peel the peaches by cutting a cross in the blossom end of each and lowering
them a few at a time into a pan of boiling water. Leave the peaches in the
water for 20 to 30 seconds, then lift them out with a slotted spoon or
skimmer and put them in a bowl of ice water. If the peaches are ripe, the
skin will slip off easily. If it does not, remove skin with a sharp
stainless steel paring knife. (If you have to use a knife to peel the
peaches add an extra peach to make up for what is peeled away).

Hold a peeled peach gently in your left hand over a mixing bowl. With a
stainless steel paring knife, make a cut from stem to blossom end. The
blade of the knife should touch the pit. Make another cut about 3/4 inch
ahead of the first one along the circumference of the peach. Angle the
knife blade so it meets the first cut at the pit. Twist the blade upward
slightly and a wedge will fall off the peach into the bowl. Continue around
the outside of the peach, cutting it into 8 or 10 wedges. Discard the pit
and repeat with remaining peaches. Add the raspberries to the bowl. Combine
the sugar and flour and gently fold them into the peaches and raspberries.
Scrape the filling into the baking dish and dot the surface of the filling
with butter. Set aside while preparing dough.

Set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.

In a bowl, combine the flours, salt, baking powder and baking soda and stir
well to mix. Cut the butter into 8 or 10 pieces and rub into the dry
ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal (or pulse in a food
processor fitted with the metal blade). Make a well in the center and add
the buttermilk. Stir gently with a fork to mix in the buttermilk, being
careful not to overwork the dough. Let the dough stand in the bowl for a
minute or two to let the flours absorb the liquid.

Flour the work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Fold the dough over
on itself 2 or 3 times, until it is smooth and less sticky. Lightly
re-flour the work surface and the dough and roll the dough to a little less
than 1/4-inch thick and the approximate size of the baking dish. Transfer
the dough to the top of the filling (use a large, floured cookie sheet,
sliding it under the dough, then easing it off onto the filling, for best
results) and trim away any excess dough around the rim of the dish. Flute
the edge of the dough at the rim of the dish. Slash 4 or 5 vent holes, each
about an inch long, in the center of the dough; paint with buttermilk and
sprinkle with sugar.

Bake the cobbler for about 20 minutes, or until the crust is deep golden
brown and the filling is bubbling gently. (To avoid dirtying the oven from
spills, center a large baking pan covered with a sheet of foil on the
bottom rack of the oven, directly under the cobbler. This will catch any
juices that boil out of the cobbler.) Cool on a rack.

Serve the cobbler warm or at room temperature. Use a large spoon to cut and
place a portion of the top crust on a plate, then spoon some of the filling
next to the crust.

BLUEBERRY LEMON COBBLER:

Substitute 2 pints blueberries, rinsed, drained and picked over for the
peaches. Add 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg to the sugar and flour.

Double the crust for a lattice top.

To make a lattice crust: