Peach Cobbler With Brown Rice Drop Biscuits

Directions

1. Make the jam: Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. With a paring knife, score an X on the skin of each peach. Gently drop the peaches into the boiling water. Blanch for 1 minute, remove with a slotted spoon, and place in a separate container. Once cool enough to handle, remove the peach skins—they should come off easily. Chop into 1-inch pieces. Put the sugar in a medium saucepan. Add ½ cup of water to moisten the sugar, but do not stir. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise with a paring knife, scrape out the pulp with the back of the knife, and put both pulp and pod into the pot. Cook over high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and reduce the mixture to a thick syrup, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chopped peaches and cook for 8 to 10 minutes while stirring constantly. Stirring is crucial, because it breaks down the peaches while preventing overcaramelization, which may cause the jam to stick to the bottom of the pot. To test the jam’s readiness: chill a small plate in the freezer, spoon a bit of jam onto it, and run your finger through the jam. If your finger leaves a trace on the plate, the jam is ready. Transfer to a separate bowl and let cool completely. Remove the vanilla bean and discard. The jam can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
2. Prep the peaches for the filling: Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. With a paring knife, score an X on the skin of each peach. Gently drop a few peaches at a time into the boiling water. Blanch for 1 minute, remove with a slotted spoon, and place in a separate container until you’ve finished all the peaches. Once cool enough to handle, remove the peach skins—​they should come off easily.
3. To make the filling, slice the peeled peaches into wedges, about 8 wedges per peach, and discard the pits. Put the peach wedges in a bowl and macerate with the sugar and honey for 30 minutes. Add the peach jam and the cornstarch and toss until well combined.
4. Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 375ºF.
5. Lightly coat the pie dish with the melted butter, transfer the peach filling to the pie dish, and place on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips.
6. To make the drop biscuits, sift the flours, salt, baking powder, and sugar into a mixing bowl. Pour in the heavy cream. Mix gently by hand until the mixture comes together to form a dough.
7. Using a spoon, scoop the dough into 8 lumps equal in size. Place each lump atop the peach filling, making sure they’re at least 1 inch apart. As they bake, the biscuits will expand and touch each other. Dust each biscuit generously with sugar.
8. Bake for 25 minutes. Then rotate the baking sheet and bake the cobbler for 25 to 30 minutes more, until the biscuits are golden and the fruit is juicy and bubbly. Rotating the sheet halfway through the baking process will ensure that the cobbler bakes evenly. Let cool for just 10 to 15 minutes—it’s always a good idea to let the bubbly filling settle before serving to allow the juices to thicken and prevent any burned tongues. Enjoy while still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Refrigerate leftovers. Reheat in a preheated 350ºF oven.