The Upper Crust

june 2007

The Upper Crust

Slumps, crumbles, cobblers and grunts—like siblings whose parents had an odd sense of humor—share more than just strange names. As with many siblings, their differences are mostly on the surface (or in the crust). Dig below their toppings and you’ll find that they’re really just variations on the same theme—a homey and soul-satisfying deep-dish fruit pie.

Real cobblers are topped with a pastry. Grunts and slumps, both topped with biscuit dough, differ in that grunts are steamed and slumps are baked. Crumbles, with perhaps the only name that makes immediate sense, are topped with a buttery streusel. But below these toppings, they’re all the same: summer fruit at peak ripeness brought to full flavor with judiciously spare doses of sugar, lemon juice and spices.


Blackberry Slump

The difference between slumps and grunts is that the former are usually baked and the latter steamed in a closed container.

Ingredients
3 pints ripe blackberries
¾ cup sugar, divided
2 cups, plus 1 tablespoon, all-purpose flour, divided
Zest from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons bourbon or
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Combine berries, 1⁄2 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon flour; toss gently. Add zest and lemon juice, bourbon, cinnamon, 1⁄4 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons butter; toss gently. Spoon fruit mixture into a greased 2-quart casserole dish.
3. Combine remaining flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Cut in remaining butter with a pastry blender or two knives until texture resembles coarse meal. Stir in buttermilk until mixture begins to hold together. Drop dough by large spoonfuls over top of berries.
4. Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 45 to 50 minutes, until topping is golden brown and berries are bubbly. Serves 6.

Recipe by Damon Lee Fowler, "Relish Classic Dishes," June 2007.
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 340 calories, 13g fat, 8g prot., 47g carbs., 8g fiber, 620mg sodium.

Blueberry Crumble

Crumbles are the link between cobblers and that other realm of fruit desserts, crisps and Betties.

Ingredients
3 pints blueberries
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Zest of 1 lemon
Lemon juice (optional)
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2⁄3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter


Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Combine berries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and zest; toss gently. Add lemon juice if berries are not tart enough. Spoon fruit mixture into a greased 2-quart casserole dish.
3. Combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over fruit.
4. Bake until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbly in the center, about 45 minutes. Serves 6.

Recipe by Damon Lee Fowler, "Relish Classic Dishes," June 2007.
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 470 calories, 15g fat, 4g prot., 86g carbs., 4g fiber, 110mg sodium.

Damon Lee Fowler is a food writer and culinary historian. The author of New Southern Kitchen and New Southern Baking, he lives in Savannah, Ga

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