Peach Plantain Cobbler

Watching everyone else eat dessert off the same table while you don't is one of the harder small moments of the elimination phase, the kind that catches you off guard more than the big obvious restrictions do. This cobbler exists so you have something to put on your own plate when that moment comes. Ripe peaches under a topping made from blended green plantain, arrowroot, coconut oil, and maple syrup, baked until the edges turn slightly crisp and the middle stays soft. It reads as cobbler. It tastes like cobbler.

Vitamin C and potassium both show up in a ripe peach, along with a range of polyphenols that early research ties to antioxidant activity. Once the green plantain in the topping is baked down, it becomes a source of resistant starch, a fiber researchers connect to short-chain fatty acid production and a steadier gut environment, quite different from what a plain flour topping would give you. This cobbler is doing something while it satisfies you, not merely occupying the spot on the table where dessert goes.

Peaches this good are only really here for a handful of weeks a year. When you cut into one that's properly ripe, sticky and fragrant at the counter, let that register as its own small good thing, separate from anything the fruit is doing for your body. Slow down enough to actually taste it.

Ingredients

Filling:

• 5-6 peaches, peeled and chopped
• Coconut oil (to grease the baking dish)

Topping:

• 2 green plantains, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup arrowroot flour
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla powder (AIP swap: vanilla extract omitted - contains alcohol)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

Method

Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly grease an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking dish with coconut oil.

Peel and chop the peaches and spread them in an even layer in the prepared baking dish. The peaches should cover the bottom completely and sit at least an inch deep.

Make the topping. Place the chopped green plantains, arrowroot flour, sea salt, vanilla powder, melted coconut oil, and maple syrup in a blender or food processor. Blend until completely smooth. The mixture should be thick and pourable.

Spoon the topping evenly over the peaches, spreading it gently with the back of a spoon to cover most of the surface. It does not need to be perfectly uniform - some gaps that let the juices bubble through are part of the character of a cobbler.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the topping is golden at the edges and the peach filling is bubbling around the sides. Begin checking at 35 minutes. If the topping is browning too quickly before the filling is bubbling, lay a piece of foil loosely over the dish and continue baking.

Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving. The filling will thicken slightly as it cools. Serve as is, or with a spoonful of cold coconut cream if you want something richer alongside.

*Adapted from Lichen Paleo Loving AIP*