The Crazy Basil Peach Black Pepper Parmigiano-Reggiano Cobbler that Captured My Heart

This unusual basil, peach, black pepper, Parmesan cobbler recipe started out as an innocent experiment making individual-sized cobblers, but somehow spun out of control into weird and wonderful new directions.

I was thinking about a cheese Danish, so I grated some Parmigiano-Reggiano into the batter. I was thinking about Gougères, so I added some freshly ground black pepper as well. I was thinking about a peach and basil sorbet I had one time, and decided that some of the sweet aromatic herb seemed perfectly appropriate.

The result was one of the more interesting and delicious desserts I've eaten in a long time. The flavors are subtle, but identifiable. I love, love, loved it. It may sound a little savory, but it was plenty sweet enough, and would make a memorable end to any late summer meal. I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Note Regarding Self-Rising Flour: As we said in the regular peach cobbler post, it is recommended you go out and get some self-rising flour. You can make it yourself, by adding baking powder and salt to all-purpose flour, but for whatever reason, it just doesn't seem work as well.

Ingredients: Two 10-oz ramekins with 2 tsp melted butter in each For the batter: 1/2 cup sugar 2/3 cup self-rising flour 2/3 cup milk 1 tbsp finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano pinch of black pepper For the peaches: 1 large peach, peeled, pitted, sliced into 10-12 slices 2 tbsp sugar 2-3 torn or sliced basil leaves 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar 1 tsp water