Cherry Slump Food

CHERRY-CORNMEAL SLUMP (OR GRUNT)

Steps:

• Put the cherries, 1/3 cup sugar, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons water in a large skillet over medium heat; you can also put the skillet on the grill or over a campfire. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the juices have released, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, a pinch salt and remaining sugar in a bowl, or pulse once or twice in a food processor. Add the butter, and process for 10 seconds or until mixture is well blended. Add the egg and vanilla; mix until combined.
• When the cherry mixture is thickened slightly, dollop the batter over the top, and cover the skillet tightly with a lid or aluminum foil. Cook, undisturbed, until the dumplings are cooked through, and their tops are dry (not sticky), 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream or yogurt.

OLD FASHIONED CHERRY SLUMP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the cherries with the sugar and stir to coat.
• Cook over medium low heat until sugar is melted and the mixture begins to bubble subtly.
• Pour into 8 x 11 baking pan. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
• Cut the shortening into the flour mixture.
• Add 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk and stir until all dry ingredients are mixed in.
• Roll out dough to fit the pan, and place on top of the cherries.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until dough is golden brown and cooked through.

SOUR CHERRY CRUMB CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking dish, and dust with flour, tapping out excess.
• Make the topping: Stir together butter, flour, sugars, salt, and cinnamon.
• Make the cakes: Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. With a mixer, cream butter and granulated sugar in another bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Working in alternating batches, add flour mixture and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until just combined. Pour into prepared dish, and smooth with an offset spatula. Dot top with cherries, and sprinkle with crumb topping.
• Bake until golden and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool before cutting.

DRIED FIG, APRICOT, AND CHERRY SLUMP

Steps:

• Filling:
• Combine first 9 ingredients in 12-inch broilerproof skillet with 3-inch-high sides or wide 3-quart stovetop casserole dish. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• Drop Biscuits:
• Whisk flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking soda, and sea salt in medium bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until very coarse meal forms (butter pieces will be reduced to size of small peas). Add buttermilk and stir just until dough comes together (dough will be slightly wet). Mix remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon in small bowl to blend.
• Return dried fruit mixture to simmer. Using generous 1/4 cup biscuit dough for each, scoop 8 mounds of dough atop simmering fruit mixture, spacing apart. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over each biscuit. Cover skillet tightly and simmer over medium-low heat until biscuits are puffy and cooked through (tester inserted into center of biscuits comes out clean), about 12 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Let slump stand uncovered 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile position rack in upper third of oven at least 6 inches from heat source and preheat broiler. Broil slump just until biscuit tops are light golden, watching closely to prevent burning, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Divide fruit slump among bowls. Pour chilled cream over each and serve.

CHERRY SLUMP

Steps:

• Mix cherries, sugar, water, and cinnamon together in a saucepan; bring to a boil.
• Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Gradually stir milk into flour mixture until incorporated; drop by spoonful into the boiling cherries.
• Place a cover on the saucepan, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook at a low boil for 25 minutes. Remove the cover and cook until the flour mixture is cooked through, about 10 minutes more.

BERRY SLUMP

Steps:

• In a food processor, whiz together the butter, 4 oz. sugar, flour, eggs, milk and 1 teaspoons vanilla extract until smooth.
• Lightly grease a 7" x 11" oblong baking dish and add the frozen berries.
• Sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons sugar and the remaining vanilla extract.
• Dollop over the cake mixture, then smooth over with the back of a spoon to cover the fruit.
• Make a little dip in the middle of the mixture to ensure it cooks evenly throughout.
• Scatter the almonds over the cake mixture.
• Heat the oven to 425 degrees F and cook for 45 minutes, until the fruit is hot and the cake is cooked through.
• Serve warm with custard or ice cream.

CHERRY LIQUEUR

Steps:

• Mix vodka, brandy and sugar in a large glass measure or medium mixing bowl; stir well to dissolve.
• Cut each washed cherry slightly to open, leave in pits.
• Place cherries in two sterile, quart wide mouth jars or one larger aging container.
• Pour liquid mixture over cherries; stir and cap with tight lids.
• For the first two weeks, shake jars several times.
• Let age in a cool, dark place for at least 3 months for best flavor.
• Strain off liqueur through a wire mesh strainer and discard cherries.
• Rebottle as desired.
• Liqueur is ready in 3 months.
• VARIATIONS:Almond-Cherry Liqueur: For a more prominent"almond" flavor, pit all or part of the cherries.
• Place cherry pits in a clean cloth and hit with a hammer to break them up slightly.
• Put broken pits and pitted cherries in jars or large container and continue as directed.
• Sugarless Cherry Liqueur: Substitute 1 cup apple juice concentrate, undiluted, for the sugar in the Cherry Liqueur recipe.
• Proceed as directed.
• The"sugars" present will be natural fruit sugars rather than the granulated processed sugars.
• Taste is excellent; aging is the same.