• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

5 tablespoons ice-cold butter, diced

¾ cup milk

Optional Accompaniment

1 pint vanilla ice cream or 1 cup heavy cream, softly whipped

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.

2. For the peach mixture: Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a large nonreactive pan, pressing out all lumps. Mix in the peaches, lemon juice, and butter, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook and stir for 1 minute, then set off the heat.

3. For the topping: Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add the butter and, using a pastry blender, cut in until the texture of coarse meal. Drizzle the milk over all and fork quickly just until a soft dough forms—no matter if a few floury specks show.

4. Scoop the peach mixture into an ungreased shallow 2½-quart casserole, spreading to the edge. Drop the topping by tablespoons on top, spacing evenly.

5. Bake on the middle oven shelf until bubbly and golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

6. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped, if you like, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

SURRY COUNTY SONKER WITH MILK DIP

MAKES 12 SERVINGS

Sonkers are cobblers unique to Surry County, North Carolina, which abuts the Virginia state line just where the foothills begin their climb toward the Blue Ridge. No one I queried could tell me the origin of this unusual dessert, of the milk dip that traditionally accompanies it, or even of its name. But there are theories. Some say the name has to do with the way the sonker’s made; that makes no sense to me. Others believe that it comes from the looks of the sonker: It sometimes sinks a bit on cooling. Is “sonker” by chance colloquial for “sinker?” There’s no arguing, however, that sonkers have been made in Surry County as long as anyone can remember or that grans and great-grans could “stir one up in a jiffy.” To celebrate the sonker, Surry County stages a festival early every October on the streets of Mount Airy (Andy Griffith’s hometown and the Mayberry of his popular TV series). What goes into a sonker? Sweet potatoes are popular but so are peaches, blueberries, blackberries, and especially strawberries, a Surry County specialty.

Pastry

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup firmly packed cold lard or vegetable shortening

1 large egg lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

3 tablespoons sugar

Filling

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon apple pie spice or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon mixed with ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup water

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

½ teaspoon almond extract

8 cups (2 quarts) blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, pitted dark red cherries, or peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced peaches (about 4½ pounds peaches)

Milk Dip

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

3 cups milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1. For the pastry: Whisk the flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl, then, using a pastry blender, cut in the lard until as fine as possible. Add the egg-vinegar mixture, then fork briskly to form a soft but workable dough. Shape into a ball, divide in half, then shape each half into a round about 1 inch thick. Wrap in plastic food wrap and refrigerate for several hours.

2. When ready to proceed, preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 13 × 9 × 2-inch baking pan and set aside.

3. For the filling: Combine the sugar, flour, and spice in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the water, melted butter, and almond extract. Add the fruit and toss well to mix.

4. To assemble the sonker: Roll each half of the pastry dough on a lightly floured surface into a 13 × 9-inch rectangle. Using a sharp knife or pastry wheel, cut one pastry rectangle crosswise into 1-inch strips and the second rectangle lengthwise into 1-inch strips. Reserve five nice 13-inch strips and seven pretty 9-inch strips.

5. Press the remaining strips over the bottom of the