Ingredients:

Fruit filling: 

• 6 yellow peaches (sliced and optionally, peeled) 

• 1½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries 

• 1 lb dark sweet cherries, soaked in brown sugar bourbon syrup (see additional recipe)

• 2 Tbsp salted butter, melted

• Juice of half a lemon

• 2 tsp vanilla extract 

• ⅓ cup lightly packed dark brown sugar 

• ¼ cup granulated sugar

• ½ tsp cinnamon

• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

Biscuit Top:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 Tbsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp baking soda

• Pinch salt

• ½ tsp apple cider vinegar 

• 2 Tbsp cold water 

• 1 Tbsp honey

• ½ cup very cold salted butter, cut into small cubes

• 1 cup buttermilk 

• 1 beaten egg, for egg wash

Brown sugar bourbon syrup: 

• 1/3 cup local whiskey

• ¼ cup lightly packed dark brown sugar

• ½ Tbsp vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9×13” glass baking dish.  Place peaches, blueberries, and soaked cherries in a baking dish. Lightly toss fruit in melted butter, lemon juice, vanilla extract, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and flour. This can be done directly in the baking dish. In a small bowl, add apple cider vinegar, water, and honey and mix until well combined.  Next, in a large mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix well. Then, add cubed butter. Coat the butter in the flour mixture, using your hands to break the butter into pebble-like pieces. Then, add vinegar mixture to moisten. The vinegar helps tenderize the gluten in the dough to produce a softer dough! Next, add buttermilk and work the dough together to form a loose ball using your hands. The dough should have a slightly sticky consistency. If the dough is sticking to hands too much to work with, sprinkle in flour as necessary.  Using hands, top fruit mixture with dollops of biscuit dough, spacing evenly across the baking dish. Fruit should be visible, as the top will not be completely covered with biscuit dough. Brush dough with egg wash and bake for 15 minutes covered with foil and an additional 15 minutes uncovered, or until fruit is bubbly and biscuits are golden.  Serve while warm, topped with vanilla ice cream, or as is. Best shared with friends or family.

For the bourbon-soaked cherries:

In a pint-sized canning jar, add cherries, bourbon, brown sugar and vanilla. Jar should be tightly filled. Seal jar completely and shake to evenly disperse liquid and sugar. It’s okay if the sugar doesn’t completely dissolve, but the mixture should have a syrupy consistency. Refrigerator overnight.