Pie fit for a president

President-elect Barack Obama praised it, and now you can, too.

During a one-time gig as a food critic on a public television restaurant review show years ago, the next president raved about the peach cobbler served at a diner in his Chicago neighborhood.

"I do have to put in a plug for their peach cobbler, which people tend to gobble up pretty good," Obama said of the dessert at Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop.

That 2001 episode of "Check Please!" never aired, but with interest in all things Obama surging, the tapes recently resurfaced. And Dixie Kitchen owner Carol Andresen is loving the attention.

"It's a wonderful burst," she said in a telephone interview. "Even though I knew this film was in the can and had been in the can for eight years, I was hoping that it would show up at some point."

**FOR USE WITH AP LIFESTYLES** Carol Andresen, owner of the Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop, carries a tray of cobblers at her shop, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, in Chicago. During a one-time gig as a food critic on a public television restaurant review show seven years ago, President-elect Barack Obama raved about the peach cobbler served at Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Andresen said the Obamas were regulars and that the president-elect's favorite dessert was the cobbler.

Unlike most cobblers, which often have crumb or biscuit toppings, the Dixie Kitchen cobbler is topped with a woven pastry crust, which is made daily at the restaurant.

At the restaurant, the cobbler is served with whipped cream, but Andresen said vanilla ice cream is nice, too.

Dixie Kitchen and Bait Shop Peach Cobbler

For the filling:

15 cups (about seven 10-ounce bags) frozen peaches, thawed and drained

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 rounded teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 cup peach juice (the juice drained from the frozen peaches is fine)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into small pieces

For the crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup Crisco shortening

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into small pieces

1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

To make the filling, arrange the peaches in an even layer in the baking pan. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk in the peach juice until smooth. Pour the mixture over the peaches. Sprinkle the butter over the top. Set aside.

To make the crust, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the shortening and butter, then use a pastry blender or gloved hands to work them into the dry ingredients until the mixture forms pea-sized lumps. Slowly add the water, adding enough and mixing only until the dough holds together. Do not overmix.

Place the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Roll out the dough into a rectangle slightly large than the baking pan and about 1/4 inch thick. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper. The dough then can be cut into strips and woven into a crust over the cobbler (this is the method preferred by Andresen). For an easier crust, invert the crust onto the baking pan and carefully peel off the parchment paper. Trim the crust to fit just inside the edge of the pan.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the crust is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Barack Obama on "Check, Please!"

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