By April 2025. Spring in Memphis, and I am 66, watching the azaleas and dogwoods bloom along my neighborhood walk, the annual resurrection that makes the winter worth surviving. The smoker wakes up in spring the way the whole city wakes up — slowly, with a stretch, then fully, with purpose.
Marcus and Angela in Whitehaven, building their family, their house full of the sounds I remember from our own early years — a baby's laugh, a spouse's voice, the daily music of people learning to live together. Naomi growing with the speed of childhood, each visit revealing a new word, a new capability, a new expression that catches my breath because it echoes someone I lost.
I smoked a pork shoulder this week — the king, the classic, fourteen hours over hickory. The bark was dark and the smoke ring deep and the meat fell apart in my hands with the familiar magic of something that has been loved patiently. I served it on white bread with coleslaw and vinegar sauce, the way Uncle Clyde taught me, the way I teach everyone who stands next to my smoker, because the serving is the tradition and the tradition is the point.
The week ended on the porch with Rosetta, the evening settling over Orange Mound, the smoker cooling in the backyard. The fire was banked but not out — it's never out, just resting between cooks, holding the heat the way I hold the tradition: carefully, permanently, with the understanding that what Uncle Clyde gave me is not mine to keep but mine to pass, and the passing is the purpose.
Rosetta has always said the meal isn’t finished until something sweet comes out of the kitchen, and after fourteen hours tending that pork shoulder — all that patience, all that smoke — I wasn’t ready to let the evening end without one more thing coming off the heat. Peach cobbler is what Memphis tastes like to me in spring: unhurried, golden, the kind of thing Uncle Clyde would’ve nodded at without saying a word because the nod was enough. This gluten-free version keeps it in reach for everyone at the table, and on a porch like ours, with the smoker cooling and the neighborhood going quiet, everyone at the table is the whole point.
Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh or frozen peaches, peeled and sliced
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 375°F. Place a 9x13-inch baking dish inside while it preheats — a warm dish helps the crust set evenly.
- Macerate the peaches. Toss the sliced peaches with 1/2 cup of the sugar in a bowl. Let them sit for 10 minutes so they release their juice. If using frozen peaches, thaw and drain them first.
- Mix the batter. In a separate bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the milk and vanilla until a smooth, thin batter forms.
- Build the cobbler. Carefully remove the hot baking dish from the oven. Pour the melted butter evenly across the bottom. Pour the batter directly over the butter — do not stir. Spoon the peaches and all their accumulated juice evenly over the batter. Again, do not stir; the layers will work themselves out in the oven.
- Bake. Return the dish to the oven and bake for 35—40 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The batter will rise up through and around the peaches.
- Rest and serve. Let the cobbler rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. Spoon into bowls and serve warm, with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream if you like.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 280 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 215mg