Ingredients for the filling:
8 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Ingredients for topping:
Dry Ingredients for topping -
2 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons sugar
Wet Ingredients for topping:
3/4 cup buttermilk
6 tablespoons butter - melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients for last step:
10 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions for the filling:
1. In a Dutch Oven, mix together 4 cups blueberries, sugar, cinnamon, water, and lemon zest.
2. Cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes or until mixture is thick and jamlike.
3. In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon cornstarch.
4. Stir cornstarch/lemon mixture in with the blueberries.
5. Add remaining blueberries and cook for 1 more minute.
6. Remove pot from heat and cover.
Instructions for the topping:
1. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
2. In a measuring cup, combine buttermilk, butter, and vanilla
3. Pour buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients.
4. Slowly stir together until dough forms.
Instructions for putting it all together:
1. Using either 2 spoons or an ice cream scoop, spoon golf ball sized dumplings on top of blueberry mixture. There should be about 14 dumplings.
2. Take a clean kitchen towel and cover the Dutch Oven and blueberry mixture. Then put the lid on. Make sure towel cannot catch fire - wrap ends of towel around top of lid if necessary.
3. Simmer gently on low heat for 16-22 minutes. Dumplings should double in size and a toothpick inserted in the dumplings should come out clean.
4. Mix the 10 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
5. Remove lid and sprinkle dumplings with sugar/cinnamon mix.
6. Serve immediately.
7. Enjoy!!
Mark's Notes:
I came across this in Cook's Country, and I had never heard of a Blueberry Grunt. I like blueberries and this recipe looked like something I would enjoy. I made it. It turned out really really good.
The only mistake that I made was for cooking the dumplings for 16-22 minutes, I cooked it on high heat rather than low heat. The original recipe instructions said to "gently simmer". I had no idea what that means. The blueberries at the bottom of the Dutch Oven got every so slightly burned. I later watched the video of them making this recipe on the Cook's Country website and they said the last part should be done on low heat.
Trish and I liked this recipe so much that I will definitely be making it again.
So, why is it called a Grunt? There are several different explanations from the people at America's Test Kitchen - it is the sound people made while eating it, the sound they made when they were done eating - it was so good they grunted, or it is the sound the dumplings made while cooking.
Trish and I liked this recipe so much that I will definitely be making it again.
So, why is it called a Grunt? There are several different explanations from the people at America's Test Kitchen - it is the sound people made while eating it, the sound they made when they were done eating - it was so good they grunted, or it is the sound the dumplings made while cooking.
