Blueberry Grunt

A Colonial American dessert consisting of stewed fruit topped with drop biscuit dough that steams like a dumpling. This is usually made in a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven on the stove top and in its traditional form, the topping never browns. The word “grunt” refers to the sound the fruit makes while cooking. This is a slow-cooker version.

• Ready In: 5 hrs 50 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• Stewed Fruit

• 2  pints fresh blueberries, picked over for stems
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup water
• 2  tablespoons dry tapioca

• Dumpling Topping

• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 2  tablespoons sugar
• 2 1⁄2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 cup  cold unsalted butter
• 1⁄2 cup  cold milk
• 1  large egg

Directions

1. Coat the slow cooker with butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray or grease with butter.
2. In the slow cooker, combine the blueberries, ½ cup sugar, water, and tapioca; stir gently to coat the berries.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for about 5 hours or until the berries have formed a thick sauce.
4. To make the topping, whisk together the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
5. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
6. In a small bowl, beat the milk and egg together; stir into flour mixture with a few strokes to form a soft dough.
7. Turn the cooker temperature to HIGH and remove the lid.
8. Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons on top of the hot blueberries.
9. Cover and cook about 30 minutes until the topping is firm and a pick comes out clean (the topping will not brown).
10. Turn the cooker off, remove the lid, and let the grunt rest for 10 minutes.
11. Spoon into individual bowls and serve with heavy cream.