In keeping with Johnny Appleseed Month
Sep. 14th, 2008 04:45 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
mumstheword54.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
shire_kitchenI gleaned this from the San Angelo Standard-Times, but try as I might I cannot find a link to this article on their website or the Scrips Howard one. So with proper acknowledgements, I bring you:
NEVER CALL A GRUNT A FOOL
by Kathy Stephenson
Scripps Howard News Service
What’s the difference between a betty and a buckle, a cobbler and a crisp, or a grunt and a fool?
These are just a few of nearly a dozen names Americans have come up with for homey fruit desserts that are topped with pastry, cake batter, or a crumbly streusel dough.
While the ingredients may vary slightly, these treats do share a few common [characteristics]: They are easier to make than pie; the fruit is interchangeable depending on what’s in season, and they usually taste best when served slightly warm and topped with vanilla ice cream.
Besides being a great dessert, they are good for breakfast, too, maybe minus the ice cream.
A primer on what’s what:
BETTY
A pudding-like dessert that originated during Colonial times. It is made with sweetened fruit and topped with buttered bread crumbs. Apple Brown Betty is the most common variation [recipe below].
BUCKLE
A single-layer cake made with fruit, usually blueberries. Sometimes the fruit is mixed into the batter, while other recipes call for the fruit to be sprinkled on top before baking.
CLAFOUTI
Typically made with cherries, this dessert comes from the French countryside. The fruit is covered with a light batter before baking. Sometimes it is more cake-like; other times it is similar to pudding. [recipe below]
COBBLER
A deep-dish fruit dessert topped with a soft biscuit dough that when baked resembles cobblestones.
CRISP
Sweetened fruit topped with a loose crumb topping. Topping ingredients vary but can include flour, oatmeal, bread crumbs, crumbled cookies, or graham crackers.
CRUMBLE
The British version of a crisp.
DUFF
Popular in England and Scotland, this steamed dessert is a mixture of dried fruit, spices, flour, and eggs. Sometimes called a roly poly.
FOOL
An old English dessert, traditionally made with gooseberries. The fruit is cooked, pureed, strained, and then folded into whipped cream.
GRUNT
This dumpling-like pudding is made by stewing fruit on top of the stove and covering it with rolled biscuit dough. It came about when the early colonists tried to make their traditional English steamed pudding with primitive cooking equipment. In Massachusetts, it was called a grunt, a reference to the sound the berries [cranberries?] make as they cook. In Vermont, Maine, and Rhode Island, it was known as a slump.
PANDOWDY
A deep-dish dessert, usually made with fruit, butter, spices, and molasses or brown sugar and topped with a pie crust or biscuit crust. The name likely comes from its plain or “dowdy” appearance.
ROLY POLY
Sailors supposedly made this dessert by rolling fruit in a pastry, wrapping it in cheesecloth, and steaming it. Sometimes called a duff.
And here are the two recipes included with the article:
APPLE BROWN BETTY
from In Pursuit of Flavor, by Edna Lewis
1-1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 C. brown sugar
3 C. 1/4” bread cubes
2 Tbsp. melted butter
Grated rind of 1 lemon
2 lb. large, firm apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into fairly thick wedges (MacIntosh or any slightly tart apple)
2-4 Tbs. cold water, or more depending on freshness of apples
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Combine nutmeg and sugar. Set 2 Tbsp. aside. Put bread cubes in a bowl and toss with remaining sugar mixture, melted butter, and lemon rind.
Line the bottom of a heavy 1-1/2-qt. casserole with 1 C. of the bread cubes. Layer half the apples over the bread and top with 1/2 C. of the bread cubes. Layer the rest of the apples in the casserole and sprinkle with water. Cover with remaining bread cubes and evenly sprinkle the reserved sugar mixture over the top.
Put the lid on the casserole or cover tightly with foil. Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 10-15 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is brown.
Serves 4.
Tips:
Brown Bettys should be served still warm. If allowed to get too cool, they will collapse a little.
French bread makes good cubes, but any day-old, firm white bread will do. Whatever kind of bread is used, leave it out on the counter to dry for several hours before cutting into cubes.
and
BING CHERRY CLAFOUTI
from The Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook, by Julie Kramis Hearne and Sharon Kramis
2 C. Bing cherries, washed and pitted, or 1 10-oz. package frozen Bing cherries, thawed in a colander
1-1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1/3 C. granulated sugar
2-1/4 C. whole milk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. Kirsch (cherry liqueur), optional [or possibly a cherry syrup]
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
Zest of 1 orange
1 Tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
Powdered sugar
Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400ºF.
Butter bottom and sides of a 12” cast-iron skillet. Place cherries evenly in the bottom of the pan.
In medium bowl, mix flour and sugar. Whisk in milk, mixing until combined. Add eggs, vanilla, Kirsch, nutmeg, and orange zest. Whisk until well combined. Pour batter evenly over cherries. Dot top with butter.
Place skillet in the oven and bake until the mixture is puffed and golden, 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
Enjoy!
NEVER CALL A GRUNT A FOOL
by Kathy Stephenson
Scripps Howard News Service
What’s the difference between a betty and a buckle, a cobbler and a crisp, or a grunt and a fool?
These are just a few of nearly a dozen names Americans have come up with for homey fruit desserts that are topped with pastry, cake batter, or a crumbly streusel dough.
While the ingredients may vary slightly, these treats do share a few common [characteristics]: They are easier to make than pie; the fruit is interchangeable depending on what’s in season, and they usually taste best when served slightly warm and topped with vanilla ice cream.
Besides being a great dessert, they are good for breakfast, too, maybe minus the ice cream.
A primer on what’s what:
BETTY
A pudding-like dessert that originated during Colonial times. It is made with sweetened fruit and topped with buttered bread crumbs. Apple Brown Betty is the most common variation [recipe below].
BUCKLE
A single-layer cake made with fruit, usually blueberries. Sometimes the fruit is mixed into the batter, while other recipes call for the fruit to be sprinkled on top before baking.
CLAFOUTI
Typically made with cherries, this dessert comes from the French countryside. The fruit is covered with a light batter before baking. Sometimes it is more cake-like; other times it is similar to pudding. [recipe below]
COBBLER
A deep-dish fruit dessert topped with a soft biscuit dough that when baked resembles cobblestones.
CRISP
Sweetened fruit topped with a loose crumb topping. Topping ingredients vary but can include flour, oatmeal, bread crumbs, crumbled cookies, or graham crackers.
CRUMBLE
The British version of a crisp.
DUFF
Popular in England and Scotland, this steamed dessert is a mixture of dried fruit, spices, flour, and eggs. Sometimes called a roly poly.
FOOL
An old English dessert, traditionally made with gooseberries. The fruit is cooked, pureed, strained, and then folded into whipped cream.
GRUNT
This dumpling-like pudding is made by stewing fruit on top of the stove and covering it with rolled biscuit dough. It came about when the early colonists tried to make their traditional English steamed pudding with primitive cooking equipment. In Massachusetts, it was called a grunt, a reference to the sound the berries [cranberries?] make as they cook. In Vermont, Maine, and Rhode Island, it was known as a slump.
PANDOWDY
A deep-dish dessert, usually made with fruit, butter, spices, and molasses or brown sugar and topped with a pie crust or biscuit crust. The name likely comes from its plain or “dowdy” appearance.
ROLY POLY
Sailors supposedly made this dessert by rolling fruit in a pastry, wrapping it in cheesecloth, and steaming it. Sometimes called a duff.
And here are the two recipes included with the article:
APPLE BROWN BETTY
from In Pursuit of Flavor, by Edna Lewis
1-1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 C. brown sugar
3 C. 1/4” bread cubes
2 Tbsp. melted butter
Grated rind of 1 lemon
2 lb. large, firm apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into fairly thick wedges (MacIntosh or any slightly tart apple)
2-4 Tbs. cold water, or more depending on freshness of apples
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Combine nutmeg and sugar. Set 2 Tbsp. aside. Put bread cubes in a bowl and toss with remaining sugar mixture, melted butter, and lemon rind.
Line the bottom of a heavy 1-1/2-qt. casserole with 1 C. of the bread cubes. Layer half the apples over the bread and top with 1/2 C. of the bread cubes. Layer the rest of the apples in the casserole and sprinkle with water. Cover with remaining bread cubes and evenly sprinkle the reserved sugar mixture over the top.
Put the lid on the casserole or cover tightly with foil. Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 10-15 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is brown.
Serves 4.
Tips:
Brown Bettys should be served still warm. If allowed to get too cool, they will collapse a little.
French bread makes good cubes, but any day-old, firm white bread will do. Whatever kind of bread is used, leave it out on the counter to dry for several hours before cutting into cubes.
and
BING CHERRY CLAFOUTI
from The Cast Iron Skillet Cookbook, by Julie Kramis Hearne and Sharon Kramis
2 C. Bing cherries, washed and pitted, or 1 10-oz. package frozen Bing cherries, thawed in a colander
1-1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1/3 C. granulated sugar
2-1/4 C. whole milk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. Kirsch (cherry liqueur), optional [or possibly a cherry syrup]
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
Zest of 1 orange
1 Tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
Powdered sugar
Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400ºF.
Butter bottom and sides of a 12” cast-iron skillet. Place cherries evenly in the bottom of the pan.
In medium bowl, mix flour and sugar. Whisk in milk, mixing until combined. Add eggs, vanilla, Kirsch, nutmeg, and orange zest. Whisk until well combined. Pour batter evenly over cherries. Dot top with butter.
Place skillet in the oven and bake until the mixture is puffed and golden, 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
Enjoy!
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 03:05 am (UTC)They definitely sound like something hobbits would love! *grin*
no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 11:56 am (UTC)Something that did interest me is that I don't like "cobbler" with biscuit dough, but I put a pie crust on top instead. So I wonder if what I make is more like a "pandowdy" -- except that the filling is more like a cobbler (no brown sugar or molasses).
Enjoy the recipes -- and the dish names!