Bear's Peach Cobbler (well almost)...

So I was really looking forward to the recipe for Sweet Melissa Sunday's this week. Bear's Peach Cobbler was chosen by Andrea of the Nummy Kitchen. To me, there is nothing that says summer more than peaches, and with the recent turn in weather here, I was really looking forward to a peach dessert. However, there were a couple things I failed to take into consideration when preparing for the recipe this week. Mainly, its not quite peach season and the peaches from California we are getting in our grocery stores on the east coast are not quite ripe when we buy them. The peaches were not going to ripen overnight, so I decided to make a cherry cobbler instead.
Unlike most of the Sweet Melissa bakers, I have an overabundance of pie cherries in my freezer right now. I picked a ton of them last year and did not have many opportunities to use them as I had my second daughter in October of last year. Much of my baking was put on hold for a while and I never got around to making the cherry jam I had planned on making.
I basically followed the recipe exactly as written with the exception of adding a little almond extract to the cherry mixture. The only problem I had was the dough for the cobbler topping was a little sticky which made it somewhat challenging to cut out. I had originally intended on using a heart shaped cookie cutter, but after half the hearts sticking and stretching, I just decided to pat the dough down to a half inch and spread it evenly over the entire fruit mixture. I think next time I make the recipe I will chill the dough a little before trying to cut it out. Time was not on my side when I was making it as I squeezed it in between a baby shower and dinner at my parents, so I had to make the best of what I had.
Though not as cute as it would have been with the heart shaped cut outs, the cobbler was really delicious. I brought it to my parent's house for dinner and served it with vanilla ice cream. I forgot my camera at home and my dad really, really liked it so I left the last serving for him, so I do not have any pictures to post this week... Maybe next time when I have a little more time and some fresh peaches to work with! Of course, as I am leaving my parent's house, I was telling my sister what happened with the recipe and she told me she has ripe peaches at her house and was not sure if she was going to be able to eat all of them! I guess that is just how it works out sometimes!
Thanks Andrea for the wonderful recipe! When the peaches are ready to pick in a month or so, I will definitely give the recipe another go. You can find the recipe for Bear's Peach Cobbler at Nummy Kitchen.

Sour Cherry Pie with Pistachio Crumble

This week's recipe for Sweet Melissa Sundays was chosen by Michelle of Flourchild. I was really excited about this recipe because I absolutely love cherry pie. If I had to pick a favorite pie, I think cherry would be it. And its a perfect dessert for Memorial Day weekend.



We love to make pies in my family! There are always pies at the holidays- pumpkin and mincemeat at Thanksgiving and Christmas, lemon meringue and coconut cream at Easter, and cherry and blueberry pies for any patriotic holiday. And of course my husbands favorites, apple and banana cream, can go any time of the year.

I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to making the crust. My mom and I have used my grandmother's recipe for years with the same flaky result every time, so I chose to stick with my own recipe for the crust. It uses shortening instead of butter and my mom taught me to cut it in using two butter knives. It is a bit of a chore, but it works! I promised my mom I wouldn't divulge the recipe, but one of our secrets is to roll out the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap so you do not have to worry about it sticking to the rolling pin or the counter. It also makes it really easy to transfer the dough into the pie plate.


The filling was simple enough. I added a little cinnamon and a dash of almond extract. Unfortunately, I have not been able to try the pie yet because I am bringing it to a party this evening. However, it smelled wonderful in the oven! I am anxious to try the crumb topping, and even though I think the pistachios will taste wonderful, I would like to try making the recipe with almonds or walnuts next time.

Thanks Michelle for picking this recipe. It seems like a great spin on a favorite classic. If you would like the recipe, you can find it on Michelle's site.