Nothing says Fall more than a fresh apple crisp baking in the oven! The smell of cinnamon and baked apples wafting through your house will put a smile on the face of anyone within smelling distance.
These baked wonders come in a variety of names and varieties. Cobble, Crumble, Brown Betty, Pandowdy, Buckle, Slump or Grunt, they all combine fruit and a flour topping. Here is how they differ:
Cobbler: a deep dish of fruit which is baked and has a biscuit crust which is "cobbled" together and sprinkled with sugar. Sometimes the biscuit is on top and under the fruit.
Crisp: a combination of flour, sugar and butter, is crumbled together and is sprinkled over the fruit before baking. Sometimes oats, chopped nuts or cookie crumbs are added to the topping.
Crumbles: the English name or version of a crisp, which has a shortbread-like topping of flour, sugar, oats and brown sugar.
Buckle: a combination of biscuit batter with a streusel topping. The fruit is mixed into the batter instead of laying beneath the topping. The most popular is blueberry buckle.
Brown Betty: originating in Colonial America, similar to bread pudding. It contains lots of fruit, buttered bread and cream. Most often apples are the fruit of choice. The topping is usually layered into the fruit before baking.
Slump:an old fashion New England dessert. This dessert is made on the stovetop instead of the oven. Dollops of biscuit dough cover the fruit. A skillet with a tight lid need to be used for this recipe to be a success.The dumplings set up on the top of the fruit, but do not brown using this cooking method.
Grunt: same as a slump and found in Massachuesetts. The name grunt was given to this dish as it was said that during the cooking process a grunting sound could be heard coming from the covered skillet.
Pandowdy: another deep dish fruit dessert made from sliced fruit, sugar, spices topped with a biscuit batter, which is baked in the oven. During the last few minutes of baking the crust is cut up and pressed into the fruit mixture. Apples, molasses and brown sugar are used in a classic pandowdy. The name originated probably because of it's appearance.
Why not give this recipe a try?
Apple Slump
Ingredients
• 6 cups thinly sliced apples
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
Directions
1. Combine the apples, 1 cup sugar, cinnamon, and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan. Cover with a tight fitting lid and heat to boiling.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together 1 1/2 cup flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in enough milk to make a soft dough.
3. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto apples. Cover pan with lid and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. DO NOT LIFT COVER UNTIL DONE! Serve with nutmeg sauce.
4. To make the nutmeg sauce: In a saucepan, mix 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon flour. Stir in 1 cup boiling water and cook, stirring constantly until sauce bubbles. Add butter and simmer gently 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg. Serve over each serving of apple slump.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 354 Total Fat: 2.2g Cholesterol: 5mg
Recipe provided by "allrecipes.com"
