Maine Blueberry Grunt
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS This 19th-century fruit dessert boasts sweetened stewed berries covered with drop
biscuit dough that is covered to steam and cook through. We found the idea of a simple
stovetop fruit dessert appealing, but standard recipes produced washed-out fruit and
a soggy topping. To improve the recipe, we cooked down half of the berries until jammy,
and then stirred in the remaining berries. A bit of cornstarch further thickened the
filling. For a fluffy biscuit topping, we placed a dish towel under the lid during
cooking to absorb condensation. A sprinkle of cinnamon sugar over the finished dessert
provided sweet crunch. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.
SERVES 12
Do not use frozen blueberries here, as they will make the filling watery. You will need a clean dish towel for this recipe.
|
FILLING |
|
|
2½ |
pounds (8 cups) blueberries |
|
½ |
cup (3½ ounces) sugar |
|
½ |
teaspoon ground cinnamon |
|
2 |
tablespoons water |
|
1 |
teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon juice |
|
1 |
teaspoon cornstarch |
|
TOPPING |
|
|
¾ |
cup buttermilk |
|
6 |
tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly |
|
1 |
teaspoon vanilla extract |
|
2¼ |
cups (11¼ ounces) all-purpose flour |
|
1½ |
teaspoons baking powder |
|
½ |
teaspoon baking soda |
|
½ |
teaspoon salt |
|
½ |
cup (3½ ounces) sugar |
|
½ |
teaspoon ground cinnamon |
1. FOR THE FILLING: Cook 4 cups blueberries, sugar, cinnamon, water, and lemon zest in Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick and jamlike, 10 to 12 minutes. Whisk lemon juice and cornstarch in small bowl, then stir into blueberry mixture. Add remaining 4 cups blueberries and cook until heated through, about 1 minute; remove pot from heat, cover, and keep warm.
2. FOR THE TOPPING: Combine buttermilk, butter, and vanilla in 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 6 tablespoons sugar in large bowl. Slowly stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until dough forms.
3. Using small ice cream scoop or 2 large spoons, spoon golf ball–-size dough pieces on top of warm berry mixture (you should have 14 pieces). Wrap lid of Dutch oven with clean dish towel (keeping towel away from heat source) and cover pot. Simmer gently until biscuits have doubled in size and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 16 to 22 minutes.
4. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Remove lid and sprinkle biscuit topping with cinnamon sugar. Serve immediately.