Peach Cobbler Foil Packets
This easy foil-pack cobbler comes together quickly thanks to store-bought canned biscuit dough.
Serves4 to 6
Prep20 minutes
Cook30 minutes to 35 minutes
Peach melba is summer in a bowl. While I love the flavors of peach melba, the texture is a bit one-note for me — and I definitely don’t love standing over a hot pan of sugar syrup in peak peach season, when my kitchen is hellishly hot. So I revised the classic dessert to one that I could cook outdoors on the grill in easy-to-clean-up foil packets and added a simple cobbler topping for texture.
My reimagined peach melba-cobbler mash-up — with its warm fruit, bubbly raspberry-peach sauce, and crunchy topping — is best served warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream.
What Is Peach Melba?
Auguste Escoffier, a famous French chef, invented peach melba in 1892 to honor Australian opera star Nellie Melba. The original dish consisted of sugar syrup-poached peaches with raspberry sauce and scoops of vanilla ice cream.
How to Make Melba-Inspired Peach Cobbler Foil Packets
First I make the fruit mixture, which consists of fresh or frozen drained peaches, fresh raspberries, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch (which thickens the sticky fruit juices into a beautiful sauce). I pile the fruit onto two double-layer stacks of foil. For the topping, I cut canned buttermilk biscuits into chunks and toss them with Sugar in the Raw, a type of golden-brown turbinado sugar that has a coarse texture that remains crunchy when baked.
To create leak-proof packets, I bring the sides of the foil up and over the fruit mixture, sealing the left and right side but leaving a narrow seam open at the top of the packets. As the packets grill over a moderate heat, the biscuits expand, the open seam helps facilitate this and lets the biscuit dough brown.
If You’re Making Peach Cobbler Foil Packets, a Few Tips
- Feel free to use other in-season fruit. Other stone fruit can be used instead of peaches, if desired. Plums, nectarines, and cherries all work well in this peach melba recipe.
- Try it in a cast iron skillet. The ingredients can be layered in a large (12- to 14-inch) cast iron skillet instead. Cook covered on the grill without foil over the top.
Peach Cobbler Foil Packets
This easy foil-pack cobbler comes together quickly thanks to store-bought canned biscuit dough.
Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 30 minutes to 35 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
Cooking spray
- 1/4 cup
packed light or dark brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons
cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons
ground cinnamon, divided
- 1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 pounds
ripe, freestone peaches, or 20 ounces thawed frozen peach slices
- 1 cup
fresh raspberries (about 5 ounces)
- 1 (about 10-ounce, 5 count) can
large buttermilk refrigerated biscuits, such as Pillsbury Buttermilk
- 1/2 cup
raw, demerara, or turbinado sugar
- 1 pint
vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
Heat an outdoor gas grill to medium heat (about 350°F), or heat a charcoal grill until the charcoal is well ashed over (you should be able to comfortably hold your hand a few inches over the grill for at least 4 seconds). Tear 4 sheets of aluminum foil into 14-inch lengths. Stack the foil to make 2 double-layer stacks and arrange each stack with a short side closer to you. Coat with cooking spray.
Place 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 4 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of the ground cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a medium bowl and stir with a fork to combine.
Pit and cut 1 1/4 pounds peaches into 1/4-inch thick wedges. If using frozen peaches, drain off the excess liquid from 20 ounces thawed frozen peaches. Add the peaches to the sugar mixture and toss to combine.
Divide the peaches between the 2 stacks of foil (reserve the bowl). Arrange in the center of the foil and spread them out into an even layer, leaving several inches of foil uncovered all around the edges. Top the peaches with 1 cup fresh raspberries (1/2 cup per packet).
Open 1 (about 10-ounce) can large biscuits and separate the biscuits. Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces and place in the bowl used for the peaches (no need to clean). Add 1/2 cup demerara sugar and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Toss to combine and coat the dough with the cinnamon sugar. Divide the dough pieces over the fruit, sprinkling any remaining sugar in the bowl over the top.
Bring the left and right edges of the foil up and over the filling, then crimp to seal upright. Next, fold the sides nearest and furthest from you up to meet at the top, but don’t seal them together. Leaving a small gap in the top will allow the biscuit pieces to expand and brown on top.
Place the packets on the grill, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Rotate the packets with tongs. Cover and continue to cook until the dough is golden brown, and the fruit is bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes more. If fruit juice begins to escape from a packet, use tongs to fold and crimp the foil back together. If this doesn’t work, you can transfer the entire packet onto a fresh sheet of foil, fold the sides up around the existing packet and crimp firmly to seal everything in.
Using a large flat spatula, carefully transfer the packets onto a rimmed baking sheet. Open the foil packets (be careful of steam) and scoop out the cobbler into bowls. Top with scoops of vanilla ice cream and spoon any remaining sauce in the packet over the ice cream.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The packets can be assembled up to 3 hours in advance. Refrigerate on a baking sheet until ready to cook.
Fruit substitutions: Other stone fruit can be used instead of peaches, if desired. Plums, nectarines, and cherries all work well in this recipe.
Ingredient/Equipment Variations: The ingredients can be layered in a large (12 to 14-inch) cast iron skillet instead. Cook covered on the grill without foil over the top.
Storage: Leftover cobbler can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat in a 400ºF oven until warmed through, about 15 minutes.