Jul 22

Jul 22 Recipe Corner: Rachele Schmiege’s Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler

We’re now four months into the pandemic, and while #pandemicbaking is no longer trending as heavily as it used to be, hundreds of thousands of Americans are either still out of work or working from home, and have an abundance of time to bake. If you’re starting to feel overwhelmed by The Great Typhoon of Gluten (editor’s note: this is not a thing. I just made it up), I highly recommend you give this gluten-free delight a go, made refreshingly summery by fresh peaches! I guarantee it’ll be worth turning on your oven during a heat wave.

Rachele and her husband Stefan, at a Met Opera opening night party.

Name: Rachele Schmiege

Hometown: Originally Vicksburg, MI, but I spent 15 years in Boston, MA, and that feels like home as well.

Years at the Met: 1 year full-time, 2 years in the extra chorus.

What is your favorite opera? La Traviata, but I love most Verdi Operas.

What is your most memorable experience at the Met so far? My most memorable experience would be when I got the full-time job at the Met. I was in a production of The Handmaids Tale in Boston at the time and Maestro Palumbo and his team were so accommodating with my very busy tech week schedule. I was the last to audition and was offered the job on the spot. I will remember that moment for the rest of my life: Maestro accompanied me on the piano, the audition team was wonderful, and my dream was achieved!

Rachele (far right) with members of the Met Chorus and Maestro Edward Gardner.

What do you miss the most about the Met? I miss so much, but most of all I miss making music and being onstage with my beautiful, kind, and talented colleagues.

Rachele (left) and extra chorister Claire Kuttler (right) sporting their fancy Queen of Spades gowns.

What music are you listening to these days? Sirius XM Broadway and Metropolitan Opera Radio.

What is most outrageous thing you’ve ever cooked (or eaten)? When I was in Romania, I ate a plate of mystery meat at an outdoor animal park/amphitheater/restaurant. I'm not sure what I ate. I just hope it was not a sibling of one of the animals watching me.

What are the three things in your kitchen you can’t live without: My husband worked at a high-end kitchen store for a number of years, and I can't live without my knives. We have a pretty nice collection of culinary steel. I have brought knives on every traveling gig (wrapped up in my checked bag, of course!) because cooking with a subpar knife is frustrating. So I would say: my Miyabi Birchwood knife, coffee pot, and dutch oven.

What are your three go-to ingredients right now? Since quarantine, I have been gardening up a storm. So far there has been a harvest of eggplant, squash, green beans, basil, and cucumbers. They are my go-to because nothing is better than fresh, still-warm-from-the-sun veggies and herbs.

If you had to choose, what would your “last meal” be? Sushi. Lots and lots of sushi.

Rachele has this to say about her new favorite dessert:

Here’s a recipe I have made twice this week, and it's insanely good, using ripe peaches. Best of all, it's gluten free, but does not taste like it! This was inspired by a socially-distanced gathering I attended. There was a delicious-looking cobbler that I could not eat. (And I love seasonal fruit in dessert form, so this was hard to pass up.) I decided to look into this for the future, and low and behold, I found this recipe. It is a King Arthur recipe, but I modified it based on my preferences.

Gluten-Free Peach Cobbler, inspired by King Arthur Flour (The original recipe can be found here.)

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. cold butter

1 cup Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix from King Arthur (make sure you are using the mix, not the flour)

3/4 cup milk, at room temperature

1 large egg at room temperature

2 1/2 cups of fresh peaches (peeled, pitted, and sliced)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and/or 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional) [Rachele’s Note: I prefer King Arthur cinnamon because it is life-changing.]

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2) Place butter in an 8" square or 9" round pan, then put in the oven to melt butter.

3) To make the batter, mix the baking mix and sugar in a separate bowl.

4) Blend in milk and egg.

5) Once the butter is melted, remove the pan from oven and pour batter over the melted butter.

6) Mix prepared peaches, sugar, cinnamon and/or nutmeg in the same bowl you used for the batter (why do extra dishes, am I right?!)

7) Spoon the peach mixture over the top of the batter.

8) Bake until the top is lightly browned and the fruit is bubbling, about 40-45 minutes.

9) Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Rachele's notes: You can serve this cobbler on its own, or with fresh whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream. Additionally, if you prefer other fruit or if another fruit is in season, you can swap out the 2 1/2 cups of fruit for something else. I'm thinking apricots with nutmeg and cinnamon, strawberries with lemon or orange zest, plums with star anise, blueberries with cinnamon... the world is your oyster.

(Rachele is not a spokesperson for King Arthur products, but if they want to give her free things, she will not complain.)