Baking Peach Cobbler with Double Sesame Crumble

Recently, my ideal way to spend an afternoon with friends has been cooking something up in the kitchen. I’ve been making both meals and sweets treats. I want to share my newest favorite summer recipe… peach crumble with a bit of extra spice.

Found in a Bon Appétit magazine, this peach and sesame crumble by Sarah Jampel has a crumble filled with roasted sesame seeds, tahini, and toasted sesame oil. The first time I tried this recipe, I didn’t fully know what tahini was (tahini -sesame in peanut butter form) and had no idea how tasty it was until now.

Vanilla ice cream is a necessity for this dish, the nutty sesame taste is complemented by the ice cream when the cobbler is cooled fresh from the oven.

The cobbler is quick and easy to prepare, and you can use both ripe & unripe peaches. I had rock-hard unripe peaches, and the recipe turned out delicious. The recipe below is 6-8 serving

Ingredients:

⅓ cup raw sesame seeds

1 lemon

2½ lb. peaches (6–7), thinly sliced

⅓ cup plus 1¼ cups sugar

1¾ tsp. kosher salt, divided

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

⅓ cup tahini

2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1—2 tsp. cornstarch

Vanilla ice cream (for serving; optional)

Step 1

Place a rack in top third of oven; preheat to 375°F. Toast sesame seeds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 12–15 minutes. Immediately transfer to a large bowl.

Step 2

Meanwhile, finely grate zest from lemon into a medium bowl; set aside. Place peaches in a 13x9" baking dish. Halve lemon and squeeze 1 Tbsp. juice over peaches, then sprinkle ⅓ cup sugar and ¾ tsp. salt over. Toss to gently combine, then let sit while you prep the topping, at least 20 minutes.

Step 3

Add flour and remaining 1¼ cups sugar and 1 tsp. salt to bowl with sesame seeds. Whisk to combine.

Step 4

Add butter and cinnamon to bowl with lemon zest. Microwave until butter is melted, about 1 minute. (Or, if you don't have a microwave, melt butter with cinnamon and lemon zest in a small saucepan over medium.) Whisk in tahini and oil.

Step 5

Scrape tahini mixture into dry ingredients and mix until incorporated (mixture should hold together when squeezed in your hand).

Step 6

The peaches should look juicy at this point. Add 1 tsp. cornstarch. If they’re really juicy, add another 1 tsp. Gently toss to combine. (If your peaches happen to be not-so-ripe and aren't juicy, don't add any cornstarch.)

Step 7

Squeeze topping into big clumps, then break off uneven pieces and scatter over peaches.

Step 8

Bake crumble until topping is well browned and firm, peaches are tender, and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let cool slightly.