Peach Cobbler for Peaches Geldof

I'm not one for celebrity news.  I don't follow the typical websites dedicated to the inane details of celebrity lifestyle.  Facebook however, has begun including a 'Trending' section in the sidebar and it was there that I learned of the untimely death of a young lady named Peaches, daughter of Bob Geldof, who founded the Bandaid.

Celebrities, despite their big fat bank accounts, nice clothes and fancy vacations, really do have it sort of rough.  They live their life with cameras flashing constantly, not even able to run out to the grocery store in their flannel jammie pants without it being documented for the world to see.  That's got to be extremely stressful.  No thanks!

As a sort of homage to the late Peaches Geldof, I give you Peach Cobbler.

Peach Cobbler
Food.com

Makes one 8 inch dish

2 large peaches, sliced (peeled if using fresh)
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 dash nutmeg
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375F.

Mix peach slices with 3/4 cup sugar and set aside. Pour butter into an 8 inch square baking dish. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and remaining sugar. Stir in milk until just combined. Pour over butter in baking dish. Top with peach slices.

Bake for 45 minutes or until golden. Cobbler is best eaten day of baking as the fruit tends to render it soggy if left to sit.
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Rhubarb Crumb Bars

When we moved into our new home and began poking around our yard this spring, I realized we had rhubarb growing along one of the fences. Let me tell you - there was excitement.

Do you know what I did to that poor, unsuspecting rhubarb? I plucked it bare. The first thing I made was a rhubarb pie - a new recipe. Total fail. Must learn to stick with tried and true recipes. Second thing? These crumb bars. Definitely not a total fail.

But then I realized how...how lifeless my rhubarb plant looked with no foliage, no ruby red stalks. Had I...maybe it was...we've been living here less than six months and already I've decimated something that's probably been living here longer than I've been alive?!?

Total panic and utter embarrassment ensued. My in laws are gardening pros. They are really going to notice this. Maybe if I just never mention rhubarb again, and if they ask how my rhubarb is doing I'll just make a quizzical face - like, what rhubarb?

Several afternoons ago, I hesitantly walked over to the where the plant had previously been flourishing. Leaves! Tightly furled and quite dark, very new looking and very relief-inducing leaves! I haven't killed my rhubarb!

My mother in law made these rhubarb crumb bars last year and we thought they were delicious, so I bookmarked the recipe.

Rhubarb may not be the most popular fruit (vegetable?) but these bars are really quite good. The cake is moist and tender and the streusel, well, who doesn't like streusel? The rhubarb itself lends a certain tartness to the bars that overall might just convince a person to give rhubarb a fighting chance.

Rhubarb Crumb Bars
Martha Stewart
Makes 16 squares

For the streusel:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus softened butter for pan
1 cup flour, plus more for pan
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the cake:
1/2 pound rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup icing sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter an 8 inch square baking pan. Line with parchment leaving an overhang on two sides. Butter and flour parchment and pan, tapping out excess flour.

Make the streusel by whisking butter, brown sugar and salt. Add flour and stir with fork till large crumbs form. Refrigerate til ready to use.

In a medium bowl, combine rhubarb, brown sugar and 1/4 cup flour. In another medium bowl, whisk 3/4 cup flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. With mixer on low, beat in vanilla then flour mixture. Spread batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle with rhubarb and top with streusel.

Bake til golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 45-50 minutes. Let cool completely in pan. Using paper overhang, lift out cake and cut into 16 bars.


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