The Nectar of Heaven

Most of what we know of heaven ultimately gives way to pure mystery. In my humanity, I ponder what it will be like. I wonder what that first glimpse will reveal. I crave the reassurance of the familiar, believing I will readily recognize the ones I have loved. And eternity seems so, well, LONG, and I am infinitely curious to know exactly how we will while away the hours. The Bible says we will be praising God and worshiping perfectly, but do you know what that means? It sounds like a beautiful culmination of our relationship with our Creator and I am honing those worship skills every chance I get, but will that take up all our time? Will we have jobs or assignments there? "Toil" is supposedly part of our earthly existence, so the idea of work as we know it seems highly unlikely. And even pondering the concept of time in heaven shows how earthbound I am. One of the things that will make heaven heaven is that there will be no more watches or time clocks or waiting in line or making appointments. (Freed from the bonds of procrastination? No more being five minutes late? Yahoo!!) I am convinced there will be singing in heaven since that is intricately woven into the fabric of worship, so I have beseeched God to give me a beautiful resurrection voice. Those who sit near me in church will find that most gratifying if we are seated close together in the heavenly choir! Singing with gusto has never been an issue for me--just singing on key!

And what of food? That is something we really all want to know, isn't it? Will we eat in heaven? The pious might say we will want for nothing in heaven and will no longer be slaves to our mortal bodies, so why would we need food? But, truly, to the person who loves to eat, the desire for food has so little to do with what we need and everything to do with what our taste buds desire. Some of my friends (who are women) allow that they cannot imagine an afterlife without chocolate. But given a choice between a morsel of silky, sumptuous dark chocolate and a bite of a perfectly ripe summer peach, I'd choose the peach any day. And just one bite would never do.

Peach season is fully upon us here in coastal Alabama and is a reminder of God's immense love for me in the here and now. The Creator who would allow me this brief interlude of true gastronomic joy must surely care about what makes me happy. When at its best, a single bite of peach yields itself to a subtle symbiosis of sweet and tart, and the careful observer might just detect a little trail of peach juice making its way toward my chin. Ah, the beauty of the summer peach. I somehow feel it an act of reverence this time of year when I give careful consideration to the peach and all the accompanying culinary opportunities such consideration affords.

Our travel schedule during the month of June kept me away from both kitchen and farmers' market. Although I wouldn't have traded a moment of time spent with family, my tiny Fairhope kitchen beckoned jealously upon my return, asking me to focus my attention entirely on what we can accomplish together with the summer's bounty now entirely at our disposal. Trips to Windmill Market here in Fairhope and Allegri Farm Market in Daphne have been "fruitful" to say the least. (Please pardon the very bad--yes groan aloud--pun.) The trick is to buy a basket or so of peaches at varying degrees of ripeness so as to maximize their availability over the ensuing days. And then when your best efforts fail and they all seem to be ripe and ready and begging to be used at once, time to make cobbler!

I was raised on the classic style of peach cobbler where the peaches are sliced, mixed with sugar and dumped raw into a prepared batter awaiting them in a buttered baking dish. I wondered if there was a better way. After some studious searching, I found a style of cobbler that called for the peaches to be cooked stove-top ahead of time in a little water and sugar. This preparation allowed the flavors to meld a little more fully. Another thing I found quite by accident is that multiple sifting of the flour makes the texture of the batter a bit more complex. I stumbled upon this when I decided to forego buying self-rising flour and instead add my own leavening to the all-purpose flour already in my pantry. Also, I was not seeking to feed the masses peach cobbler. Most of the recipes I found were big enough to take to the church pot-luck when all I wanted was to feed two to four people for one meal. Let's face it, cobbler needs to be eaten warm, right out of the oven. Day old and microwaved is NOT cobbler at its best. So here is a recipe for four that takes very little time and turns a weeknight dinner into a celebration of summer at its best. Add a bit of almond flavored whipped cream for something really special.

Peach Cobbler

2 1/2 cups peeled, sliced peaches

1 cup sugar, divided

1/4 cup water

1/2 stick butter (4 tablespoons)

3/4 cup flour

1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

dash of cinnamon and sugar for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine the peaches with 1/2 cup sugar and the water. Bring to a boil in a saucepan and reduce to a simmer for about 8-10 minutes.

3. Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Then sift 2-3 times more for good measure.

4. Combine flour mixture with 1/2 cup sugar and 3/4 cup milk and whisk together until somewhat bubbly.

5. Put butter in an 8X8 baking dish and allow to melt in the heating oven. Watch carefully so the butter doesn't scorch.

6. Pour batter into the melted butter.

7. Use a slotted spoon to distribute the peaches evenly across the batter, and then pour the syrup carefully on top of the peaches. Sprinkle a bit of cinnamon over the peaches.

8. Allow to bake for about 20 minutes until batter has begun to cover the peaches. It will look slightly foamy as it bakes. At this point, sprinkle about a tablespoon of sugar across the top of the batter.

9. Allow to bake for another 15- 20 minutes (cobbler requires a total baking time of 35-45 minutes) until slightly browned. Bubbly peaches will peak through the batter in some places when done.

10. Allow to cool some before eating, but try to time this so you can enjoy it warm. Top with a bit of freshly whipped heavy cream with a bit of sugar added along with a drop or two of almond flavoring. Take this cobbler to yet another level with a sprinkle of toasted sliced almonds.

And, if the masses are truly begging for peach cobbler, double this recipe in a 9 x 13 pan and the masses will not complain!