Sour Cherry Fruit Slump
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Sour cherry fruit slump: tart cherries and summer berries bubbling under tender buttermilk dumplings, finished with cinnamon sugar. An old-school stovetop dessert that’s faster than a pie.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
18 minCOOK
19 minREADY
56 minA slump is what you make when a pie feels like too much work. Sour cherries thicken up on the stovetop with cornstarch, cinnamon, and a splash of cranberry juice, then soft spoonfuls of buttermilk dumpling dough drop on top and steam under a tight lid until puffy and cooked through.
The magic is the buttermilk in the dough. It reacts with baking soda for lift, tenderizes the crumb, and adds a subtle tang that keeps the sweet fruit from going one-note. Aim for a dough that’s very soft and slightly wet. If it’s stiff, the dumplings turn gummy instead of cloud-like.
Let the slump rest 15 minutes uncovered on a wire rack after it comes off the heat. The sauce tightens as it cools and the dumplings stop steaming from the underside.
Chef Tips
- Keep the heat low once the dumplings go in. A hard boil turns them dense and waterlogged.
- Cut into the center dumpling with a paring knife to check doneness. If it’s still wet inside, cover and cook another 3 to 4 minutes.
- Use a wide-bottomed Dutch oven or deep skillet so the dumplings sit on top of the fruit, not sunk in it.
- Frozen sour cherries work fine straight from the bag; canned need to be drained well.
Variations
- Swap half the cherries for blackberries, blueberries, or chopped purple plums.
- Add ¼ teaspoon almond extract to the fruit mixture for a classic cherry-almond pairing.
- Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a spoon of cold heavy cream.
Ingredients
Directions
To prepare fruit:
Stir together ¾ cup sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in a 9- to 10-inch nonreactive deep-sided skillet or 3-quart wide-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven (see Note).
Stir in cranberry (or orange) juice and lemon zest, then the cherries and other fruit.
Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring.
Simmer, stirring, until the mixture thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.
Remove from the heat, taste and add up to 2 tablespoons more sugar if desired.
To prepare dough:
Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, 1½ tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl.
Add butter and oil.
Using a pastry blender, two knives or a fork, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Add ¾ cup buttermilk, mixing with a fork just until incorporated.
The dough should be very soft and slightly wet; if necessary, stir in a little more buttermilk.
Let the dough stand for 3 to 4 minutes to firm up slightly.
To finish:
Use lightly oiled soup spoons to scoop up the dough, dropping it in 8 portions onto the fruit, spacing them evenly over the surface.
Return the slump to the stovetop and adjust the heat so it simmers very gently.
Cover the pot tightly, and continue simmering until the dumplings are very puffy and cooked through, 17 to 20 minutes.
(Cut into the center dumpling with a paring knife to check for doneness.)
Let the slump cool on a wire rack, uncovered, for at least 15 minutes.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the dumplings.
Serve warm.
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