After spending a year in Saigon and returning to Southern California, I’ve completely lost all sense of seasonality. Back when I resided on the East Coast, I craved pumpkin and root vegetables during this time of year. These days, especially when it’s eighty-five degrees with clear and sunny skies, all I want is cobbler a la mode. This recipe calls for canned peaches, so the taste of summer is definitely accessible from coast to coast.

For peach filling

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 4 15 oz. cans of peaches, drained
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

For biscuit topping

• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Accompaniment: vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Make filling

In a large heavy saucepan whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Add drained peaches, vanilla, and cinnamon and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer mixture, stirring, 2 minutes and transfer to a shallow 2-quart baking dish.

Make topping

Cut butter into pieces. In a bowl with a pastry blender or in a food processor blend or pulse together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. If using a food processor transfer mixture to a bowl. Add milk and vanilla and stir until mixture forms a dough.

Drop topping by rounded tablespoons onto peach filling (do not completely cover it) and bake in middle of oven 40 minutes, or until topping is golden and cooked through. Transfer cobbler to a rack to cool slightly.

Serve cobbler warm with ice cream.

Makes 8 servings.

Adapted from Gourmet, July 1997