Blackberry Grunt
The name comes from the sound the fruit makes as it bubbles and hits the lid. It is a humble, rustic dessert that relies on the contrast between the tart, thickened fruit base and the soft, cake-like top.
The steam is your oven.
Use a heavy-bottomed pot with a lid that fits snugly; if it leaks, the dumplings will not puff. Keep the lid closed until the final minute of cooking.
- Heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven
- Mixing bowls
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring cups
What goes in.
- 4 cupsfresh blackberries
- 1/2 cupgranulated sugar
- 1 tbsplemon juice
- 1 cupall-purpose flour
- 2 tbspsugar
- 1.5 tspbaking powder
- 1/4 tspsalt
- 2 tbspcold butter, cubed
- 1/2 cupwhole milk
Maintaining constant pressure
The dough acts as a lid for the berries while the pot lid traps the moisture. Do not peek until the timer hits the mark, or the dumplings will collapse.
The method.
Prepare the berries
Place berries, sugar, and lemon juice into the pot over medium heat. Bring to a steady simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves and the berries release their juices.
Mix the dough
Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Rub the cold butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs. Fold in the milk just until combined; it should be a sticky, thick batter.
Drop the dumplings
Drop spoonfuls of the batter onto the surface of the simmering berries. Leave a little space between each for them to expand.
Simmer
Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Avoid the temptation to lift the lid.
Check for doneness
Lift the lid quickly; a skewer inserted into a dumpling should come out clean and the berries should be thick and syrupy.
Other turns to take.
Spiced Berry
Add a half-teaspoon of ground cinnamon or ginger to the dry dumpling mix.
Blueberry substitute
Blueberries work well here, but reduce the sugar by two tablespoons as they are naturally sweeter than blackberries.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If your pot lid is loose, wrap the rim with a piece of parchment paper or foil before setting the lid down to seal in the steam.
Serve this warm, ideally with a splash of heavy cream or a scoop of unsweetened whipped cream to balance the intensity of the berries.
Do not overwork the dumpling dough, or they will turn out dense instead of fluffy.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I use frozen blackberries?
Yes, do not thaw them. Add them frozen and increase the simmering time of the fruit base by 5 minutes before adding the dough.
How do I know when the fruit is thick enough?
The juices should coat the back of a spoon and move slowly. If it looks too watery, let it simmer a few minutes longer before dropping the dough.