Music

My "mission statement" for this blog was to include music in some way, shape or form. Well, this might be the moment at which I accomplish this.

This is a tiny part of what's on my iPod.

Summer

Peach Blackberry Cobbler. Yes, it is as good as it looks. Yes, it was baked at home. Yes, there is a recipe, and no, it wasn't published by Cook's Illustrated or the Silver Palate people. But I was influenced by both, and by James Beard, when putting the recipe together.

Filling:

6-8 ripe peaches, peeled and cut into 1/8ths
2 pints blackberries, rinse and cleaned
1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
Fresh grated nutmeg
2-3 tbsp tapioca flakes
1/3 cup sugar

Place the peaches and berries in a large, non-reactive bowl. Add the dry ingredients. Add the liquid ingredients. VERY gently toss all ingredients, using your hands, until the berries and peaches are evenly coated. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Once the peaches and berries have macerated, place them in an 11" glass baking dish. The dish should be about 2" deep to hold the berries.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once the oven reaches 350 degrees, place the filled baking dish in the bottom of the oven for 10 minutes. The peach-berry filling should just be starting to bubble.

Cobbler:
1 1/3 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
6 tbsp butter, cold, cut into 1/4" chunks
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup milk

Mix all dry ingredients together. Cut in butter with a pastry knife until the butter and flour mixture has an oatmeal like texture. Add the milk and cream. Mix until the batter just holds together. Do not over mix.

Assembly:

Remove the pre-baked filling from the oven. Make sure to shut the oven door. Place 1-2" pieces of the cobbler batter on top of the filling, leaving only small breaks. Place the dish on the lower rack of the oven. Set timer for 10 minutes. At 10 minutes, move the baking dish and cobbler to the top rack, and sprinkle 1 tbsp of sugar on top of the cobbler. After 10 minutes, turn off the oven, and allow the cobbler to remain in for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool to room temperature.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

To reheat cobbler, place serving in oven-proof bowl and heat in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Back to the Future

I feel guilty for liking Justice, if only because listening to Justice -- and D.A.N.C.E in particular -- reminds me of listening to AM radio in 1976, which I absolutely detested in 1976.

Of course, listening to AM radio in 1976 also meant hearing "Afternoon Delight" and "Muskrat Love." About which nothing more need be said.