This Vintage Summer Dessert Is The Perfect Way To Round Out A Modern Meal

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New England has historically produced some quirky, delicious recipes, from old-school Venus de Milo soup to the humble vintage baked bean sandwich. The dog days of summertime have us thinking about yet another time-tested Northeastern classic, a simple but elegant dessert that will absolutely delight everyone at your table when you bring it out. It's called a fruit slump, but don't let the name fool you ... folks will absolutely sit up straight when they see this one.

A slump is a dessert that's related to cobbler, and another peculiarly-named fruit-and-topping skillet named a "grunt." Its other cousins are a buckle, a Betty, a pandowdy and the North Carolinian sonker dessert. A slump, however, is distinct for being cooked on the stovetop and then topped with doughy dumplings just perfect for sopping up all the syrupy fruit underneath.

It's been theorized that the slump is named for the way the dumplings "slump" over the fruit base. Blueberry is the quintessential New England slump fruit, since the fruit grows plentifully there, but you really could make this work with almost any fruit of your choice, provided that the moisture levels are controlled and things don't get soupy. Ripe berries are always popular, but a summer's bounty of stone fruits taste good solo or mixed together. As it gets closer to autumn, the season's first apples and pears will beg for the slump treatment and help to deliver a classic taste of fall.

To prepare the fruit for your dessert, cut it into small (½ inch) pieces. For berries, cut them in half unless they are already bite-sized. We've talked about slump being a dessert that celebrates seasonal spoils, but frozen fruit will work just fine if that's what you have on hand. In your pan on the stovetop — a deep cast iron works excellently — combine berries, as much sugar as you'd prefer, fresh-squeezed citrus juice, and the seasonings of your choice. Ceylon cinnamon is a classic addition that brings a little spice, but we also love a splash of high-quality vanilla extract to lend depth of flavor and even more sweetness, especially if the berries are tart. 

Bring the fruit mixture to a gentle boil, allowing the fruit to break down and become syrupy. While that is cooking, make a shaggy biscuit dough using your preparation of choice. You want to spoon generous lumps of the dough atop your berry mixture, being sure to space them out. Cover your pan (no peeking!) and let your dessert simmer for 25 minutes.

You'll find that no fruit slump is complete without a cream element to bring richness to the dish and mellow out the sharp flavors of the fruit. Vanilla ice cream is the perfect summer delight, but we also wouldn't turn our noses up at fresh whipped cream, or even a touch of heavy cream drizzled over the top like a condiment.