Blueberry Buckle

Because I am sure you ALL want to know - a little etymology for you:


Most people have heard of fruit cobblers. "Cobbler refers to a variety of dishes, particularly in the United States and United Kingdom, consisting of a fruit or savoury filling poured into a large baking dish and covered with a batter, biscuit, or pie crust before being baked. Unlike a pie, cobbler never contains a bottom crust.

In the United States, varieties of cobbler include the Betty, the Grunt, the Slump, the Buckle, and the Sonker. The Crisp or Crumble differ from the cobbler in that their top layers are generally made with oatmeal. Grunts, Pandowdy, and Slumps are a New England variety of cobbler, typically cooked on the stove-top or cooked in an iron skillet or pan with the dough on top in the shape of dumplings—they reportedly take their name from the grunting sound they make while cooking. A Buckle is made with yellow batter (like cake batter), with the filling mixed in with the batter or set atop it. Apple pan dowdy is an apple cobbler whose crust has been broken and perhaps stirred back into the filling. The Sonker is unique to North Carolina: it is a deep-dish version of the American cobbler. In the Deep South, cobblers most commonly come in single fruit varieties and are named as such, such as blackberry, blueberry, and peach cobbler. The Deep South tradition also gives the option of topping the fruit cobbler with a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream."

Now that you know the difference, let me share one of my favorite recipes for Blueberry Buckle. This comes to us courtesy of the Better Homes and Gardens "New" Cook Book. The classic with the red and white plaid cover. Mine was printed in the mid 1960s and isn't ashamed of the generous calls for eggs, butter, cream and other foods some consider bad for you today.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups sifted flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup sifted flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup butter

 Directions:

• Thoroughly cream shortening and 3/4 cup sugar
• Add egg and beat until light and fluffy
•  Sift together 2 cups flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.
• Spread batter into a greased 11x7 inch pan
• Top with berries. Press berries lightly into the batter.
• Place the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and with a pastry cutter cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly
• Sprinkle topping over the berries.

 Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

 Notice how in the picture on the right I have added the amount of berries called for in the original recipe .. but what is wrong with this picture??? Hint: You can still see the batter underneath!

The picture on the left is MUCH  better ... and next to it you see the completed buckle ready for the oven.

Buckle can be served warm with ice cream or enjoyed at room temperature with a cup of coffee.