Cobbles & Cream

Valentine's day dessert, of course, was up to me. A million chocolaty recipes ran through my mind, along with guilty thoughts that I was being selfish because i know Nick likes vanilla more. I also learned this week that he thinks pie trumps cake. I don't think I've ever been so surprised...and horrified. PIE!? hrmph. So i mulled over maybe making an apple pie, but then all of the sudden it was Friday and I had no time and no pie making ingredients.. and by that I'm referring to Lard. I Also think peeling, coring and slicing apples is the most painful thing ever. My mommy dearest has a contraption that does it all for you, so I prefer to fulfil my apple pie needs at her house.

5PM on Friday, no desert in sight. I find a can of coconut milk, score! I have a can of sliced peaches in the fridge and blueberries in the freezer. A plan arises. Blueberry peach cobbler with coconut whipped cream!

I find some recipes and make some adjustments to suit my ingredients and need to not leave well enough alone. The cobbler comes together without a hitch and I throw it in the oven by 5:30, deciding I will warm it up after dinner.

The Coconut Whipped Cream (Oh She Glows has a great write up) did not go as planned. Every recipe called for a can of FULL FAT coconut milk, which is a problem as I never buy full fat anything. The second problem- I don't have time to let it chill as long as is called for. I throw it in the freezer and pull it out half an hour later, hoping for the best. Ideally, when you open the can of coconut milk the cream should have hardened so you can easily scoop it out and leave the rest of the coconut milk behind . Mine isn't even close. I carefully tried to skim the coconut cream off but of course, got some milk in the bowl in the process. Bad news. I chill my bowl and beaters and cream and cross my fingers and try to whip it. No luck. It will not get whippy. Hrmph. I recall a recipe for chocolate coconut milk ice cream that I had perused and dismissed earlier, and decide to go that route. I throw the rest of the coconut milk in the bowl and add some sugar and vanilla and whip it up, throw it in a container and into the freezer. I say a little prayer to the Dessert Gods that the ice cream will harden in time.

The re-warmed cobbler comes out of the oven and is bubbly and the crust is golden brown and it looks amazing. I check the ice cream and it has hardened- hallelujah! It is isn't very creamy but it IS cold and delicious I throw a couple of scoops on top of the cobbler and BOOM Valentine's Day is complete!

Here are my adapted recipes:

Winter Blueberry-Peach Cobbler (Adapted from Better Homes & Garden)

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup margarine, softened

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup canned peach syrup

3 cups canned peaches

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 tablespoon margarine

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoonground cinnamon

Directions

1. For topping, stir together flour, the 1/2 cup sugar, and baking powder. Add coconut milk and the 1/4 cup margarine all at once. Stir until smooth; set aside.

2. For filling, in a medium saucepan stir together brown sugar and cornstarch; stir in water. Add peaches and blueberries. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Add the 1 tablespoon margarine and the lemon juice; stir until butter or margarine melts. Pour into an ungreased 9x9 glass dish. Spoon topping in mounds over hot filling. Sprinkle with a mixture of the 2 tablespoons coarse sugar and the nutmeg or cinnamon. Place on a shallow baking pan in oven, to catch any spill over.

3. Bake cobbler in a 350 degree F. oven about 35 minutes or until bubbly and a toothpick inserted into topper comes out clean.

Vanilla Coconut Milk Ice Cream (Adapted from The Detoxinista)

Ingredients:
1 14 can coconut milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and with a hand mixer beat until smooth and creamy. Throw in a container and freeze for a few hours. Take it out of the freezer and let it sit until it's scoopable.