A use for those summer berries...

I thought I'd be a little different today and post a recipe. This being summer and all (well, late summer) and berries being in season, I thought I'd try a Blackberry Grunt recipe from one of my books. It turned out great.. I looked around on the Internet and found some different variations. I tweaked the version I found in the book (see the last line in the post for which one). This version is finished in the oven, while other versions are cooked on the stovetop. I suppose you could try doing this on the stovetop, if you don't feel like using the oven in this heat. :) It's a lot like a cobbler, but it's preparation reminds me of chicken and dumplings.

Berry Grunt

4 cups berries (any variety, or a mix of varieties. they can be fresh or frozen)
1 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons
spices (see below)
1 cup water
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 cup buttermilk

In a dutch oven combine the berries, water, 1 cup of the sugar, and spices to taste. You can use any spices you want, this recipe goes good with nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, or any combo thereof. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and cook for about 15-20 minutes on medium heat.

While the berries are cooking, sift together the 2 tablespoons sugar, the flour, soda, and powder. Add in the butter. You can do this by cutting the butter into the flour, or, just put the whole stick into the bowl and work it in with your hands. When combined, make a well and add the buttermilk. Mix with a spatula until a dough forms.

Drop the dough by the spoonful on top of the berries, making sure to cover them evenly. Sprinkle the top of the dough with some cinnamon sugar.

**Oven method: Cook the mixture, uncovered, in a 400 degree oven, about 15-20 minutes, or until the dough is cooked. Let sit about 10 minutes to cool.
**Stovetop method: (Note: I have not tried it this way, so use at your own risk!) Cover the pot, and cook until the dough is cooked through.. if you've made dumplings before, the concept is the same.

Variations: The dumpling dough is fine without the sugar in it, if you'd rather not have that much in there. Different liquids could technically be used in place of the water. And I'm sure regular milk would be fine if you'd rather not go with the buttermilk.
Serve as is, or with ice cream, whipped cream, or whatever you want.

This recipe was adapted from I'm Just Here for More Food by Alton Brown, which is highly recommended for those who like baking. Also recommended is his show Good Eats on the Food Network.

*****Edit, Aug 18: I tried the "Stovetop only" version of the recipe.. instead of popping it in the oven, I covered the pot and let the dough cook for about 15 minutes. It turned out great, obviously the look/texture of the dumplings will be different, but the dish still turns out very tasty.