Strawberry Grunt

*UPDATE – See this post about our new eating habits.(7/10/11)

So, we’ve covered cobbler, crisp, crumble and now we’re on to…..grunt. Grunt is just fun to say. Grunt. Grunt. Grunt. Actually grunting is fun to do too. Try it. If you’re having a hard time doing something, grunt and it’ll make it easier. If you grunt because you can’t get a jar open, your manly man will come to your rescue and take care of the problem. Try it. Aside from the obvious body noise, what is a grunt? It’s like a cobbler, but you cook it entirely on the stovetop. You stew your fruit until it starts to get thick and then you drop dough on top, sorta like dumplings. Then you put the lid on and let the steam cook the dough. Pretty easy. It’s called a “grunt” because of the sound the liquid makes, bubbling up between the dumplings as they cook. I’ve also heard this dessert referred to as a Slump…..but grunt just sounds better so we’ll stick with that. Grunt. Let’s GRUNT!

You’ll need berries, sugar, water, flour, baking powder, orange peel, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and milk. The type of berry doesn’t really matter. I used strawberries and blueberries because they were in my freezer. You could use all of one or the other….or another type of berry. Have I ever told you guys that when I say the word “wild-berry” that my husband always goes “WOOOOO! I’m WILD Barry!” Yeah. It’s a loony bin here. Oh, and as far as the orange peel goes, please don’t leave it out. Invest in a good microplane grater and use zest as often as you can. It really gives food a nice BANG! Plus, you can still eat the fruit after you zest it. Waste not, want not.

Grab a big ole skillet and plop your fruit, water, and sugar in there. My berries were frozen, so I used less water than it called for. I knew they would be full of water when they thawed – I was right. I think I only used 1/3 cup of water. Stir it up and turn the heat on medium.

Look how pretty! Bring the berry mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. It’s going to help the mixture get thick and really start to break down. It’s a beautiful thing. Every time I say break down, I feel like I need to dance.

Throw your dry ingredients into a bowl and mix them up. It doesn’t need to be a big bowl. Mmmmmm…I just love how orange zest smells!

Slowly add your milk and stir just until it starts to come together. If you stir too much, your dumplings will be tough…..and that would just be a sad, sad day.

I use my cookie scoop a lot, but you don’t need it here. You can just use a regular spoon. Spoon your dough in little heaps all over the surface of the fruit. Do not stir the fruit. Just plop it on there and be happy. You can make a little design if you like – I’m sorta obsessed with pretty food. My sister is nodding right now.

The dumplings are going to cook just like this. The ooey goodness will bubble up around it and steam it. Yum, yum! I love ooey goodness.

In order for the steam thing to work, you have to put on a lid. Look at all those lovely fingerprints. Have I ever told you I hate washing windows?

After about 10 minutes, take off the lid and test a dumpling to see if it’s done. I used a toothpick, but you could use a cake tester or anything like that. Don’t use a chopstick unless you want a large gaping hole….you could fill that hole with fruit or cover it with Cool Whip, so I guess it’s not such a bad thing after all. If it’s not done, cook for five more minutes. Don’t cook too long or they’ll be tough.

And there ya go – grunt. It’s best to serve it warm. You could use Cool Whip or ice cream. I only had chocolate ice cream as an option, so we suffered through without any extra topping. *Burp! Grunt!*