Slumps and Grunts!

Don't you love all that fresh fruit available now that summer is in full swing! Our berry bushes are just going crazy! So everyday I've been berry pickin in my own backyard. What could be more fun!

I love baking and I really enjoy baking with fresh fruit. At least I feel somewhat healthy eating a dessert who's main ingredient is fruit! Then it counts towards you daily food pyramid guidelines right? Aren't we supposed to eat something like 9 servings of fruit now?

So what do slumps and grunts have to do with fruit? They're funny names for a type of fruit dessert! A slump or grunt cooks on top of the stove (although slumps can also be made in the oven) and has a dumpling like topping. Love that! This way I don't have to heat up my kitchen making a yummy dessert!

I found this wonderful book "Rustic Fruit Desserts" by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson. It has the recipes organized by season so you can always bake with what's available fresh (or you can do frozen or canned). That's where I found a recipe for slump. I never knew what a slump was before! According to her a slump can be made with "whatever fruit you have on hand". So I made a blueberry/blackberry slump!

This is the recipe that appears in the book and was the recipe of the week from Crown Publishing Stone Fruit Slump.

I wound up not using that recipe because it calls for cake flour and I didn't have any cake flour and I didn't want to run to the store to buy any cake flour! But it got me searching on the internet and this is the recipe I used. Gingered Berry Grunt

Oh My Gosh It was sooooo good! You've got to try it! I'm sure using cake/pastry flour for the dumpling would have made it a lighter less dense dumpling but I liked it anyway!

The ginger in the dumpling topping is such a wonderful flavor! I made half the recipe to try it out so you could even just make it for one or two people!

Speaking of ginger....I'm growing my own! I bought a ginger plant a few weeks ago from a vendor at our town's Farmer's Market. It's going to stay in the pot until fall so I have time to think of where it's permanent spot will be.

Now for a bit of trivia for us Little Women/Louisa May Alcott fans:

"It is known that Apple Slump was a popular dessert in her day, and a favorite of the Alcott family. And because of the lovable -- but homely -- character of both the dessert and the house, Louisa nicknamed Orchard House "Apple Slump", so the dish does have a special connection to her."

"Little Women" is my all time favorite book and I keep this postcard of Orchard House on my bulletin board above my desk.

Possibly Louisa May Alcott's Apple Slump
Serving Size: 8

Filling:
6 tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Topping:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp double-acting baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Toss together the apples, sugar and spices and place in a buttered baking dish. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
While this is baking, prepare the topping, starting by sifting together the dry ingredients. In separate bowl, mix the egg, milk and butter and add this mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring till just combined. Spread the topping over apples and bake at 350F for an additional 25 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Sept.2000 The Concord Magazine

Somehow we've gone from berry pickin to slumps and grunts, to growing ginger, a book review and some Alcott thrown in! I think I'll stop now LOL!

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great weekend everyone!