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½ cup cold whole or lowfat buttermilk

1 Heat the oven to 425°F.

2 Grease a 2-quart ovenproof dish with unsalted butter, and add the peaches, brown sugar, lemon juice, water (if using), cinnamon, and salt. Toss until the peaches are evenly coated, and then let stand for 10 minutes while you prepare the drop-biscuit dough.

3 In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and cut it into the flour by pinching small amounts of the butter-flour mixture together between your fingertips, until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-size pieces of butter mixed throughout. Add the buttermilk, and stir with a rubber spatula for about 1 minute, until a tacky, wet dough comes together.

4 Pat handfuls of the biscuit dough on top of the peach filling. The dough should be patchy and should not cover the entire surface. Bake until the syrup is bubbly and the biscuit top is alluringly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

5 Serve warm scoops in small dessert bowls, ramekins, or cocktail glasses.

VARIATION

drop-biscuit summer berry cobbler Make another earthshaking cobbler with the following two substitutions:

• For the filling, substitute 6 cups (about 1½ pounds) summer berries such as blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, or a mixture thereof, for the peaches.

• For the biscuit topping, substitute sifted all-purpose flour for the cornmeal, so that the total quantity of flour in the biscuit topping is 1 cup.

garnish it easy

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With store-bought vanilla ice cream

garnish it fancy

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With rum-flavored whipped cream

FIG AND BOURBON COMPOTE

serves 4 • TIME: 5 minutes preparation, 10 minutes marination, 14 minutes cooking

This versatile compote makes a superb condiment for any cut of pork you care to serve, but when we spin it dessert-wise, we like to use it as a foundation. We place about ¾ cup of the warm figs and their syrup in a small bowl and then spoon a generous scoop of sweetened whipped cream or other topping over the fruit.

1 cup apple cider

⅔ cup Kentucky bourbon or Tennessee whiskey

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

10 ounces dried figs (about 2 cups), cut into quarters

Sweetened whipped cream, crème fraîche, buttermilk ice cream, or Greek yogurt, for serving

1 Pour the apple cider and bourbon into a small saucepan, and whisk the brown sugar into it (the sugar need not dissolve). Add the figs and let them soak and soften for 10 minutes.

2 Bring the fig and bourbon mixture to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the figs have completely softened, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the figs to a medium bowl. Continue to simmer the sauce until it’s reduced by half and becomes syrupy, about 4 minutes. Pour the syrup over the figs and serve warm, topped with whipped cream. (Covered, the compote will keep in the refrigerator for about 1 week.)

garnish it toasty

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Crushed toasted peanuts or toasted benne (sesame) seeds—sprinkled over whichever dairy product you choose to place on top of the compote—will add a layer of both texture and flavor to this dessert.

STRAWBERRIES WITH SOUR CREAM AND PORT SYRUP

serves 4 • TIME: 10 minutes

This dessert looks stunning and has loads of flavor, yet it’s almost as easy to assemble as scooping store-bought ice cream. If the strawberries in your market are less than perfect, just soak them in the port syrup for 15 minutes, tossing every now and then, before serving; in no time, you can transform those firm, out-of-season supermarket strawberries into a real indulgence!

1½ cups tawny port

¼ cup sugar

1 pound fresh strawberries, rinsed, stemmed, and quartered (about 1 quart)

1 cup sour cream or crème fraîche

1 Pour the port into a sauté pan set over medium-high heat, add the sugar, and stir. Bring to a simmer, stirring, and continue to simmer until the sugar has completely dissolved and the liquid has reduced to about ½ cup, about 6 minutes. (Covered, port syrup will keep in the refrigerator for about 1 week;