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by Nancy Baggett When I began working on The
All-American Dessert Book a few years ago, I decided to research
the simple fruit creations that were such as sweet part of my childhood.
I was also curious about several dishes I’d heard of but never
eaten—pandowdies and buckles. It turns out that all these
desserts are American inventions that began appearing in the nineteenth
and twentieth century; each one is unique. Here’s what I learned:
Cobbler—A
homey variation on pie first mentioned in nineteenth century cookbooks,
this dish was sometimes referred to as a fruit “pot pie.”
The cobbler can be topped with either a pastry crust or a biscuit
dough, although the latter is more typical today. Some nineteenth
century cobblers had both a bottom and top crust and were what we
might now describe as a very rustic, deep-dish pie. Occasionally,
recipes called for turning the cobbler out and serving it upside-down.
As cookbook author Lettice Bryan noted in her 1839 work The
Kentucky Housewife, the resulting dessert did not look “fashionable”
enough for company, but was “very excellent for family use.” Pandowdy—Pandowdies
are nearly extinct except in New England, and even there they are
hard to find. The scattering of pandowdy recipes published in nineteenth
century cookbooks suggests that, like cobblers, they were derivatives
of pie, though some very early recipes called for a yeast dough
top instead of a pastry crust. Most culinary historians think the
quaint-sounding name refers not to appearance of the dish but to
the fact that it was always covered with a “dow” (a
variant spelling of the word dough). Today, pandowdies are most
often sweetened with molasses or brown sugar and are baked in oblong
or square pans. Betty—The
betty is a descendant of layered fruit and bread puddings that began
turning up in nineteenth century America. Early recipes, sometime
called “brown betty,” usually incorporated layers of
apples, bread, and sugar in a deep casserole. They tended to be
very plain and on the soggy side, and were likely devised to use
up leftover bread cubes or crumbs. The use of bread crumbs or cubes
is still the distinguishing characteristic: if the dessert doesn’t
contain bread or perhaps cracker crumbs, it isn’t a betty.
Modern betties feature all kinds of fruit and are usually baked
in a shallow dish that promotes evaporation and yields crisper,
more flavorful desserts. No one knows where the name “Betty”
came from. Crisp—Considering
how old-fashioned they seem, crisps (also occasionally called crunches)
are relative newcomers to our repertoire; they didn’t start
turning up until the early twentieth century. Crisps probably evolved
from German-American pie-like desserts called “Kuchen,”
which combined fruit or other fillings with crumbly, flour, sugar,
and butter mixtures known as “Streusel.” (Streusel comes
from the German verb “streuen,” meaning to strew.) Nowadays,
streusels are often gussied up with nuts, rolled oats, coconut,
and other enhancements, but if the mixture is sprinkled over fruit
and baked, the result is still a crisp or a crunch. Buckle—The
American creations called buckles only date back fifty or sixty
years, and they are not easy fruit-in-a-bowl desserts but rather,
simple, one layer cakes. The overwhelming share of buckles contains
blueberries, and recipes are almost always finished with a light
streusel or a sprinkling of cinnamon-sugar on top. Buckles are in
fact part of the modern “snack cake” family. Slump—The
slump, also sometimes called a grunt, is usually put together like
a cobbler, but it is then covered and steamed rather than baked.
The cooking technique makes all the difference; while baked
dough comes out crisp and browned, steamed dough emerges
tender, pale in color, and puffy-moist. Nineteenth century cookbook
author Mrs. Sarah Rorer rightly noted in her 1898 eponymous work
that slumps were “simple, easily digested, and palatable.”
Some slump and grunt recipes call for spreading a layer of dough
on simmering fruit; others for dropping the dough by spoonfuls;
and still others for cutting out biscuits and placing them over
the filling. There is no real information available on how slumps
and grunts got their name. Strawberry-Rhubarb
Slump Printable
Recipe Strawberries and rhubarb are
an extraordinarily appealing combination, and they sparkle in this
simple but irresistible slump. Here, soft dumplings are dropped
over the simmering fruit, then a tight lid is added so they gently
steam. The result is very light, tender puffs of mild dough mingled
with a colorful, intensely fruity, sweet-tart sauce. This dessert
is the ultimate comfort food. Tip: It’s important to
choose a heavy pot or stove-top casserole that conducts heat evenly.
Also, adjust the burner so the fruit filling simmers very gently
to ensure that the bottom doesn’t burn. For the fruit: Stir together
the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a 3-4 quart enameled or other
non-reactive Dutch oven (or similar pot). Stir in the juice, then
the rhubarb until smoothly incorporated. Bring the mixture to a
simmer, stirring constantly over medium heat. Simmer, uncovered
and stirring, until the mixture begins to thicken and the sugar
dissolves, about 2 minutes. Stir in the strawberries and set aside. For the dough: Thoroughly
stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking
soda in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the butter over top. Using a pastry
blender, forks or fingertips, cut in the butter until the mixture
resembles coarse meal. Add a scant 1 cup buttermilk to the flour
mixture, mixing with a fork just until evenly incorporated. The
dough should be very soft and slightly wet; if necessary, stir in
a little more buttermilk. Let the dough stand 5 minutes to firm
up slightly. With lightly oiled soup spoons, scoop up the dough
and drop into 8 or 9 portions on the fruit, spacing them evenly
over the surface. Cover the pot tightly. Adjust the heat so the fruit
just barely simmers. Cook the slump for 15-20 minutes longer, or
until the dumplings are very puffy and cooked through; check by
cutting into the center dumpling with a paring knife. Transfer the
slump to a wire rack. Let cool for at least 15 minutes. Sprinkle
the cinnamon sugar over the dumplings. Serve warm, spooned into
bowls, along with scoops of ice cream, if desired. The slump is best when fresh,
but may be stored, covered and refrigerated, for several days. Allow
the slump to warm up to room temperature, or reheat to slightly
warm in a low oven before serving. |
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I
grew up in Maryland farming country, and rhubarb and strawberries
were among the first perennials up and producing in our garden.
After a winter of mostly canned fruits and vegetables, we were always
excited to have fresh, seasonal ingredients on our family table
again. Sometimes my mother baked us a classic strawberry-rhubarb
pie, but more often she tossed the tempting duo into cobblers, betties,
crisps, and slumps. She felt that these desserts tasted just as
good as pie yet were quicker and easier. This is, of course, why
so many people still love to bake them today.