Brown Butter [Crockpot] Peach Cobbler

There are many who often think “peach season” with the mention of summer, and rightly so. When I think of peach season, I think of peach cobbler. After living in Atlanta for 37 years, I know a thing or two about peach cobbler: the peaches should be ripe, sweet, and juicy, and there should be a decent crust to filling ratio. Okay, well, that’s two. Beyond that, I know what I like and don’t like about others’ cobblers, but had no idea how to put it all together to make it just right…“Trixie right.”

Almost a year after moving to southern Colorado, I was introduced to Palisade peaches. Having lived the life of a “Georgia Peach” for so many years, I’d no idea what a Palisade peach was, but I’m so glad I do now. (Truth be told, my penchant was always for California peaches. Please don’t tell the “Suth’n’z.”) 

I spent the next two summers developing and perfecting what today is my Brown Butter [Baked] Peach Cobbler, about which I’ll write in a future post. 

Recently, however, with the opportunity to participate in a cookoff competition themed “One Dish Wonders,” coincidentally held in Palisade, Colorado, I rewrote my baked cobbler recipe for the crockpot and entered it in the competition. 

My heart was in the right place, and I hate to make excuses, but I had a few things working against me, and knew I was way off my game going in. Under the circumstances, I gave it my best shot. 

I didn’t expect to place at all, but ended up being awarded 3rd Place out of the 24 entries, for which I was humbled and truly grateful. I was well aware that some aspects of that batch of peach filling necessitated improvement. Perhaps it was the distinctive taste of the filling, along with the combination of unique flavors and textures of the topping that won the judges over. And, while not part of the One Dish Wonder itself, it probably didn’t hurt that I provided some fresh sweetened whipped cream, subtly flavored with peach, caramel, and pecan to plop on top. 

While I know it was not my best, I learned a lot in the process about crossing the threshold between the oven and the crockpot. Of course, it’s a completely different animal. Measurements and ratios are very different. Where there are the benefits of ease of preparation and some time savings, there are sacrifices of some textures. And, to be honest, with the crockpot preparation, I really missed the flaky crust on both the top and the bottom of my baked version. 

It was a good learning experience and, quite frankly, nothing ventured, nothing gained.  You can’t win ‘em all, and you don’t know until you try.