strawberry dumpling

Strawberry Dumpling, gourmet

Serves 6

* Active time: 15 min
* Start to finish: 40 min

June 2009

Test kitchen director Ruth Cousineau learned how to make this stovetop dessert from her husband’s family, who would throw it together it after picking pounds of strawberries to freeze for the winter. And it couldn’t be easier: Simply stir an easy biscuit dough into the boiling fruit, cover, and cook until the dough bakes up into a fluffy, cakelike dumpling dripping with sweet, juicy strawberries. All you need to add is a drizzle of heavy cream.

* 1 qt strawberries, trimmed and thickly sliced (about 4 cups)
* 2/3 cup sugar
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
* 2/3 cup whole milk

Accompaniment:
heavy cream

* Stir together strawberries and sugar in a 4-qt heavy saucepan and let stand, stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 15 minutes. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
* Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Blend in butter using a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Stir in milk until just blended, then add mixture to boiling berries and stir once or twice. Tightly cover saucepan and reduce heat to low. Cook, undisturbed, until dumpling looks dry on top, 15 to 18 minutes. Let stand off heat, uncovered, 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe by Ruth Cousineau

Photograph by Stephanie Foley