Recipe: Sour Cherry Slump (or Cherry Cobbler)

the appetizer:

Dessert secrets are revealed in Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, including recipes for The Baked Brownie, Sour Cherry Slump, and Sweet and Salty Cake.

I Love Desserts

Sour Cherry Slump

Yield: 8 servings

Quite honestly, we set about making a slump because of its odd-sounding name. Both the name and the dessert have convoluted and contradictory histories, but the slump is essentially a twice-removed cousin of the cobbler family, consisting of a cooked fruit filling topped with a biscuit crust that's cooked entirely on the stovetop. The name describes how the biscuit topping "slumps" over the filling as it cooks. We played with a basic recipe until we came up with a slump we both loved. It's very easy to put together for a quick weekend brunch.

Baked Note
This is a dessert that is meant to be served right away, with heaps of whipped cream or scoops of ice cream. You can prepare the biscuit dough and the berries ahead of time; when you're ready to serve, simply bring the berries to a boil, top with the biscuit dough, and 15 minutes later it's done.

For the Biscuit Topping

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup sour cream
Raw sugar for topping (optional)

For the Sour Cherries

2 pints sour cherries, pitted and drained
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to serve

Make the Biscuit Topping

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With a wooden spoon, stir in the melted butter and mix until combined. Add 1/4 cup of the sour cream and stir. Add a few heaping tablespoons of the remaining sour cream, stirring between each addition, until the dough feels wet. You may end up using slightly less than the 1/2 cup of the sour cream. Set aside while you prepare the sour cherries.

Make the Sour Cherries

In a well-seasoned 8-inch or 8-1/2-inch cast-iron skillet, gently combine the cherries, sugars, 3 tablespoons water, the lemon juice, and lemon zest.

Cover the skillet with a lid or a piece of tight-fitting foil and bring the mixture to a rapid boil over medium heat.

When the mixture reaches a boil, remove the skillet from the heat and scoop heaping tablespoons of the biscuit topping over the cherries, covering as much surface area as possible. If using, sprinkle the top with raw sugar. Cover the skillet tightly and return it to low heat. Cook for about 15 minutes. Do not remove the lid. After 15 minutes, check the topping for doneness; it should be dry to the touch. (The topping will not brown the way it would in an oven.)

Serve the slump hot from the pan.