MangiaMore: BLUEBERRY summer dessert

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Crumble, cobbler, brown betty, crisp, grunt, slump, buckle… whatever it’s called… we made a blueberry summer dessert. This hybrid treat has elements of each of these semi-distinctive (but maddeningly similar) summer favorites like the doughy biscuit parts of a cobbler and the crunchy sweet topping of a crisp.

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In many ways our blueberry concoction is most like a brown betty. A brown betty has the saucy warm fruit in between layers of yummy crumbs. Whatever we made has sweetened cooked blueberries squeezed between a soft cobber-like airy dough on the bottom and a crisp candy like streusel topping. Our whatchyamacallit had the best of both worlds (and is the perfect base for large amounts of ice cream) using two separate recipes for the bottom and for the topping.

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The tart tang and tiny pop of the blueberries complemented the layers surrounding the fruit filling. The streusel topping studding the sea of blueberries softened with sugar and time mirrored the bursting quality of the dark skin of the berries. It crunched with the texture of crystallized and browned sugar, similar in effect to the feeling of changing berries on the tongue. While the cloud-like cake resting at the bottom of the dessert recalled the inside meat of the fresh blueberries, it was lush, fluffy, smooth and light.

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These three disparate layers came together to make a textural playground, the rise and fall of feelings and varied profiles. And the combination happens to be perfect for Independence Day (which is just around the corner) or your next backyard barbecue. A blueberry whatchyamacallit screams summer!

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RER 6.28.15