Cranberry Bog
By Cat, Nov 24, 2016 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)
I’m cooking my Thanksgiving dinner and looking for ways to keep busy yet attentive in-between tasks. I found this intriguing recipe in yesterday’s Daily Interlake (originally by Gretchen McKay for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (1)). Not sure when I’ll give this a try – not today – but maybe soon.
I do love cranberries, adding their juice to my morning smoothie every day, and add them to holiday meals like today’s Thanksgiving dinner. They are a relative of our local huckleberries and also Scandinavian lingonberries. But I’d never thought about using them in a treat like upside down cake or cobbler.
The original recipe states “A slump is a New England take on cobbler.” Cobbler is a favorite treat (like cherry cobbler that I don’t make as often as I used to (before I switched to a ketogenic eating plan of low carb, high fat, moderate protein).
See also: 1. Fruity Treats Menu; 2. Cranberry Upside Down Cake
Cranberry Slump (Cobbler)
I’ve adapted this recipe from one by Gretchen McKay for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (1); makes 6 – 8 servings. For more of her cranberry recipes, see also her blog (2).
To make the batter, the original recipe uses a food processor, which I don’t have, so I have to do this the old-fashioned way.
I’ve not yet adapted this for pre-soaking the flour, mainly because there is not sufficient liquid that could be used for the presoak.
Ingredients & Equipment
- Berry mix:
- About 6 cups cranberries, rinsed and drained
- ½ tsp stevia extract powder (dissolved in ½ tsp cranberry or orange juice) OR ½ cup Rapadura or white cane sugar (no juice)
- 1 Tbsp grated orange zest
- Batter:
- ½ cup Rapadura or white cane sugar
- ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour (or spelt flour)
- ¼ cup unbleached white flour (wheat or spelt)
- 1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
- Pinch of unrefined sea salt
- 1 stick (½ cup) cold butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp real vanilla extract
- Equipment
- cast iron or other ovenproof skillet
- medium mixing bowl
- pastry fork or cutter
- fork
- foil
- soup spoon
Method
- Preheat oven to 375°F
- Berries: In measuring cup (for liquids), dissolve stevia in cranberry or orange juice, then add filtered water to make ½ cup liquid. Pour into skillet.
- OR, if not using stevia, measure ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water and combine in skillet.
- Stir in orange zest.
- Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar (if using), then remove from heat.
- Batter: Sift flour, baking powder and salt into mixing bowl. Whisk in ½ cup sugar (if used stevia) or 1 cup sugar (if didn’t use stevia).
- Cut stick of butter into 8 slices (8 individual tablespoons), then cut those into flour mixture until it’s just combined; you should still see bits of butter.
- Gently mix in the eggs and vanilla using a fork; the dough will be a bit rough- if mix until smooth, it won’t be a flakey-tender cobbler.
- Using soup spoon, drop batter in heaping tablespoons over berry mixture in skillet, spacing the droppings as evenly possible.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then cover loosely with aluminum foil to allow the dough to steam. (I recommend buttering the underside of the foil before placing over the skillet to protect the acidic berries from the toxic aluminum). OR use buttered baker’s parchment.
- Bake for another 10 minutes or so, until the berries are bubbling.
- Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream or crème fraîche.
References
- Gretchen McKay for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: post-gazette.com/life/food/2016/11/16/Cranberried-secrets-Try-a-slump-crisp-or-cheesecake/stories/201611160001
- Gretchen McKay’s Blog on cranberries: gretchenmckay.com/?p=1831
