Blueberry Grunt

Note: You will need a Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid to prepare this recipe.

For the blueberries, in a large Dutch oven, over medium heat, bring the the blueberries, water and sugar to a gentle boil and continue cooking until there is plenty of juice (several minutes).

As the blueberries are cooking, prepare the dumplings. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together into a medium-sized bowl. Cut in butter with 2 knives or a pastry cutter, until it resembles peas. Then add sufficient milk to make a soft dough (I find I usually need about 1 cup of milk). The dough should hold together but still be wet-looking, softer than play dough.

Once the blueberries have become nice and juicy (and cooked down slightly), drop the dough by tablespoonfuls over the berries. Cover closely and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat. Do not lift the lid during the cooking time. After 15 minutes the dumplings should be poofed up and cooked through. Remove from heat and serve hot.

Additional notes: Dumplings will not cook properly if you lift the lid during cooking—no peeking at your dumplings as they cook! In addition, some cooks feel that milk makes a dumpling tough. But my mother and I have always used milk for this recipe, and we’ve never been disappointed.

This is a traditional Nova Scotian recipe, passed on to me by my mother. The original source of the recipe is unknown—and it is made in kitchens all over the province!