Mixed Berry Slump
A continuation in my obsession with “food with a funny name” series.
According to the Martha Stewart website:
“Cousin to the cobbler, a slump has dumplings on top instead of biscuits, as used in this easy berry dessert recipe.”
I didn’t know a cobbler had biscuit on top!! Heck, I made a slow cooker apple cobbler a while ago and I still didn’t know that!! Though it was a cheat in a lot of ways as it used a boxed cake mix and was made it in the slow cooker, so now I have to make a cobbler the traditional way soon just to see! What a terrible chore…
But for now I settled for this Mixed Berry Slump, and it was not settling at all. This is a really great dessert, and I will definitely be making this again soon.
The recipe says that you get six “dumplings”, I got seven. This took such a short time that it surprised me, I knew it would be quick, but from the minute I decided to make it until I was setting the timer for the dumplings to simmer took less time than the ten minutes to cook them.
The dumplings/biscuits were really light and fluffy, just like little clouds. More like little cakes than what I think of as dumplings or biscuits.
Slumps, I have decided, should be eaten everywhere, and often!
Mixed Berry Slump
Mixed Berry Slump
- 7 1/2 ounces blueberries (1 1/2 cups)
- 6 ounces raspberries or blackberries (1 1/2 cups)
- 12 strawberries, hulled, and halved or quartered if large (1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped, pod reserved
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
Bring berries, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, the vanilla seeds and pod, and a pinch of salt to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Whisk together cornstarch and remaining tablespoon water; add to berries. Simmer for 1 minute.
Let stand while making dough.
Mix together remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, the flour, baking soda, grated nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Rub in butter using your fingers until very small pieces remain.
Stir in buttermilk until dough forms.
Return berry mixture to a gentle simmer over low heat, and add 6 mounds of dough. Cook dumplings, covered, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove pod.
The picture looks delicous and it sounds like a great recipe … something to do with the package of mixed berries in my freezer on a slow day.
The problem is that it is so simple that it is too tempting to make it too often…
Luckily I don’t have that problem. Not only am I basically, lazy, not as fond of sweets as savoury items, but the knowledge that I’d have to eat the WHOLE THING by myself, usually keeps me from making desserts like this.
Those are good points.
I cut it in half to make it usually… which sort of gives me an out on the last one.
Haha…a mixed berry slump is the best name ever. It sounds like you’ve eaten mixed berries for like 200 days in a row and now you’re in a slump.
It is a great name isn’t it? I love recipes with strange names.