Because we have lots of new followers here who know very little about Bayou Life, and because they came to be here due to “A Berry Good Education” being “Freshly Pressed”, I thought they might like to see one of the many things we do with these delights. So, veteran readers, please indulge me in a repeat of this south Louisiana spring dessert.
Originally posted April 7, 2012.
Why, it’s dewberry dumplins, dahlin! Oh, yes, it is! Mastered in the Bayou Woman test kitchen on Good Friday and right to you in your homes less than 24 hours later.
Termite and I had to pick a few more berries to make enough for this delicious south Louisiana dessert. I should be picking more berries in the cool of this morning, but I promised you a recipe, and I intend to deliver before the day gets away from me–and in time for your holiday meals.
Cobbler was the dewberry dessert of choice that my mom made for us, which I later cooked for my own family. However, down in south Louisiana (as opposed to north Louisiana) something called blackberry dumplings is the go-to recipe for these wild things. I’ve tried recipes from a couple different ladies over the years, but none of them turned out as they should have. I mean, nobody enjoys biting into a doughy bite of goo.
What the dumplings aim to be are fluffy, cake-like treasures, covered with the blackberry sauce. The recipe is simple and really easy to make, but it’s all in the temperature and timing. I tweaked a couple things to make it our own, and I got the timing down just right for you (something that was missing in previous recipes).
Here are the players . . .
~ Dewberry or Blackberry Dumplings ~
~ Dumpling Batter Wet Ingredients~
1 Egg – well beaten
1/2 Cup whole milk
1 Teaspoons Vanilla
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Tbsp. melted butter
~ Dry Ingredients ~
1 3/4 Cups All purpose Flour
1.5 Teaspoons Baking Powder
~ Dewberry-Blackberry Sauce ~
2 Quarts Dewberries or Blackberries
3 Cups Sugar
2-4 Cups of Water (as needed)
Recipe yields approximately 24 dumplings
Here we go: Whisk the wet ingredients in a medium mixing bowl in the above order. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
Now, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, gently folding and do not “over stir”.
Set aside the batter while you make the sauce.
In a large skillet (or large, shallow sauce pan) with a lid, put the blackberries and sugar. Cook on medium heat until a soft boil and it begins to thicken, stirring often. This could take about 15 minutes. Depending on the water content of your berries, you might not need to add any extra water. However, if you want more syrup or thinner sauce, add the water a little at a time to desired thickness.
Once the sauce is boiling, drop batter gently into the liquid using two teaspoons. (Scoop batter up in one, push it off into the skillet with the other.) These dumplings will double/triple in size making a perfect size dumpling. WARNING: If you use a larger spoon, the dumplings might be too big and not cook through.
Still on medium heat, cover the pan and SET THE TIMER. Now, here’s something I had to figure out on my own. You must gently turn the dumplings over, at 2.5 minutes, which is halfway through the cooking time. Put the lid back on and let them cook the other 2.5 minutes. BEFORE you remove them from the liquid, stick you fork gently into the middle of the largest dumpling, and if the fork comes back clean, they are done.
Get your serving dishes ready before the dumplings are done. Put 2-3 dumplings into each bowl, drizzle with berry sauce and top with ice cream, whipped cream, Greek yogurt, or nothing.
And for those of you who ALWAYS ask me what the finished product looks like on the inside, here ya go . . .
See the nice cake-like consistency? These, my culinary friends, are perfect! They even passed The Captain’s (picky-ness) test, and Termite gobbled them up!
So there you have it. One more thing to add to your south Louisiana cooking box of tricks to wow your family and friends after they’ve stuffed themselves on some spring-time crawfish stew. Don’t delay, get out and find your patch of wild berries before they are ripe and gone. Down here, it’s a very short window of opportunity, so hop to it!
The family doesn’t know it yet, but this will be our dessert on Easter Sunday, after our speckled trout, red drum fish fry!
Bon apetit, mon amis!
Filed under: Bayou Woman Cooks | Tagged: "blackberry dumplings", "dewberry dumplings", "wild blackberries", "wild dewberries', blackberries, dewberries | 52 Comments »
