Fusion cooking? The peach cobbler that’s like creme brulee

My first attempt at Seattle chef Renee Erickson’s Peach Cobbler with a Hot Sugar Crust

On Sunday, I made Renee Erickson’s Peach Cobbler with Hot Sugar Crust, cringing as I slopped boiling water on to the batter. Who would’ve thought this recipe from the famous Seattle chef is remarkable for the strangest reason? It calls for going against the basic principle of baking a cobbler – wetting the batter with hot water!

Click here for the recipe and try it if you can. The results were pretty extraordinary. Aided by the hot water, the sugar melted and formed a crust atop the cobbler, below which was a cake-y pillow and below that, soft and sauce-y fruit.

Let it cool just a bit before tapping on the crust and the sound is somewhat akin to that from a properly done Creme Brulee with its carapace of  hardened caramelised sugar.