Orzo and Peach Cobbler

Today I made peach cobbler and an orzo salad.  The peach cobbler recipe comes from Bubby's Homemade Pies.  I tend to think of pie recipes along the same lines as the pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean think of the Pirate's Code - as guidelines, rather than actual rules.  At this point in my culinary education, I can put flavors together pretty well, and I can tell pretty well how much of something to put in without measuring, but I don't always think of the flavor combinations.  So that was mostly what I used the recipe for, to figure out what spices I should use.  This recipe won easily because it said to use Cardamom.  Cardamom is one of my favorite spices, in spite of the fact that I don't use it very often.

So, I made a basic pie crust (any recipe will do, they're pretty much all the same) and then cut up 5 large peaches (you can peel them if you want, I decided against it) and mixed them with some lemon juice, sugar, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg.  I didn't measure, so I can't tell you how much of what or which.  Just add until it looks right and taste it.  If it tastes good, then you're done, if not fiddle until it does.  I then did a lattice crust (a rather successful one too!) and baked it for about half an hour.

Now the Orzo Salad is from an actual recipe.  If you have a copy of the Frog Commissary Cookbook, it is on page 65-66 - "Orzo Salad with Fragrant Sesame Dressing."

Basically you cook some orzo, shred some carrots and mix them with yellow raisins, sunflower seeds and a dressing consisting of salt, corn oil, sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, scallions, red paper flakes, rice wine, orange peel, pepper and a little sugar.  I am not really sure about the legality of putting the actual recipe on my blog, but if you want it I can get it to you.

Until my next food adventure!
Beki