Since I did not venture to Washington for the Inaugu-ration, I decided to bake. Fact is a recipe for peach cobbler appeared all over the Internet about a week ago. Supposedly it is Barack Obama’s favorite dessert, and I must admit a fondness for cobblers myself.

Before starting, I cut the recipe in half which called for 15 cups of peaches. 15 cups? That’s an awful lot of fruit when it’s selling for $2.49 a pound (in Jacksonville, FL.) Frozen peaches were an option, but honestly, not much lower in cost.

Preparation: The recipe was easy; fill a baking pan with peaches; top with sugar mixture and butter; then add a crust.

I decided to go all out and cut my crust into patriotic star shapes. Thought it looked rather nice.

The taste test: The cobbler, though bursting with fruity flavor, was runny. “An obamanation,” declared her husband, the critic, “but the crust is terrific.” Perhaps I should have been suspect of a recipe coming from a Bait Shop?

So, I’ll throw out the file and only keep the piecrust recipe (easily made in the Cuisinart.)

If you would like to try making the cobbler, the recipe appears below, along with a few suggestions, which I think will make it less runny:

Obama Peach Cobbler

From the Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop in Chicago, adapted by Debi Lander.

Ingredients for the Filling

• 7 ½ cups peaches (may use frozen, thawed and drained)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp. cinnamon (or more)
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces

Ingredients for the Crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup Crisco shortening
• 2 Tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
• 3 Tbsp ice water

Directions

(Directions for a 9 x 9 inch sized baking pan.)

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. To make the filling, arrange the peaches in the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Drizzle over the peaches. Sprinkle the butter on top and set aside.
4. To make the crust, pulse together the flour and salt in the Cuisinart.
5. Add the shortening and butter, pulsing until the dry ingredients are worked in and the mixture forms pea-sized lumps.
6. Slowly add the water, mixing only until the dough holds together. Do not overmix.
7. Place the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper.
8. Roll out the dough- forming strips to be woven into a crust or cut other shapes, or for an easier crust, just roll out a square large enough to fit inside the pan.
9. Cut a few slits in the top.
10. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.