Blackberry Grunt

Today at Target blackberries were on sale, so I decided to buy some and search out some sort of recipe for a blackberry dessert. I ended up making a Blackberry Grunt--Alton Brown's recipe. Apparently a grunt, similar to a cobbler, is a dessert with a fruit filling topped with biscuits. I was a little nervous about the biscuit topping, but it ended up being really delicious. The biscuit soaked up the juices quite nicely and added some stability to the super sweetness of the blackberry filling. It was a great summer dessert, and paired with some vanilla ice cream, it was heavenly! Here is the recipe just in case anyone wants to give it a shot!

The Recipe:

Ingredients

• 9 1/2 ounces all purpose flour, approximately 2 cups
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
• 1 cup buttermilk (fyi if you dont have buttermilk on hand you can make it by combining 1 Tbsp of white vinegar then add milk so that the total volume is 1 cup--let sit for 5 minutes)
  
• 1 pound 3 ounces fresh or frozen blackberries, approximately 4 cups
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a piece of foil on the bottom rack of the oven to catch any drippings.

Place the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda into the bowl of a food processor and process for 3 to 4 pulses. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and, using your hands, work the butter into the flour mixture until about half of the fat disappears and the rest is left in pea-size pieces. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the buttermilk and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon just until it comes together. Turn the mixture out onto a piece of parchment or waxed paper that has been lightly dusted with flour, shape into a ball and wrap and store in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Combine the blackberries, sugar, water and ginger in a large mixing bowl. Pour the mixture into a 10-inch cast iron skillet and place over medium heat. Bring this to a simmer decrease the heat to medium low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the liquid is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Retrieve the dough from the refrigerator and gently drop it on the fruit mixture using a 1-ounce disher or large spoon, evenly distributing it over the top. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top is just starting to brown. Remove from the oven and allow the grunt to cool for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.