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Serves
6-8
Author Notes
I made a slump for the first time a few weeks ago. It was such an easy and delicious dessert; with fresh seasonal fruit in the starring role, cloaked in a light, sweet batter, my son declared that when he turns six next month, he wants a birthday slump instead of cake! That night I adapted Amanda’s Nectarine Slump recipe, subbing mango and blueberries for the nectarines and using gluten free flour mix. Here, I have wedded my version of her slump with spoonbread and the result is a delectable summer dessert that comes together in a pinch (and is gluten free to boot!). Here in Hawaii, we are enjoying a banner mango season – they are beautiful and plentiful at the market – however, if you cannot find mangoes where you live, strawberries would make a different, but equally delicious summer slump. Note: In lieu of finely ground cornmeal or corn flour, you could also whir the medium grind cornmeal in a food processor until it is soft and fine. I like combining the two different grinds for a feather light corn cake with the tiniest bit of crunch and body. —gingerroot
Ingredients
1 cup
blueberries, washed and dried
1
large fragrant, ripe but firm mango, cut into cubes (for a great tutorial on how to hedgehog your mango, head here: http://food52.com/blog…), yield should be about 1 ½ cups OR equal amount of strawberries, hulled and chopped
2 teaspoons
lemon zest, divided
6 tablespoons
unsalted butter, plus more for buttering your dish
3/4 cup
fine grind gluten free stone-ground cornmeal or corn flour – I used Bob’s Red Mill brand (do not substitute mesa, which is soaked in lime)
2 tablespoons
medium grind gluten free stone-ground cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons
baking powder
1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
7 tablespoons
sugar, divided
1/2 cup
well-shaken buttermilk
2
large eggs
3 tablespoons
crème fraiche
1 tablespoon
maple syrup
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 375° F.
- Butter a 9-inch ceramic deep-dish pie plate or similar dish. Gently toss blueberries and mango cubes with 1 T sugar and 1 t lemon zest in dish. Arrange fruit in a mostly single layer.
- Melt butter in a bowl in the microwave (about 30 seconds). Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine cornmeals, baking powder, and salt, remaining zest and remaining sugar. Whisk dry ingredients together thoroughly to combine.
- Add melted butter to dry ingredients, using a spatula to scrape out the bowl. Fold until combined. Fold in remaining ingredients (buttermilk through maple syrup); making sure each is uniformly mixed into batter before adding the next.
- Pour the batter over fruit and bake for 35-38 minutes, or until slump is fragrant, top is golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Serve and enjoy slump warm with vanilla ice cream. It occurred to me that if by chance you had any leftovers, it would make a divine and slightly indulgent breakfast (whip cream optional).
My most vivid childhood memories have to do with family and food. As a kid, I had the good fortune of having a mom who always encouraged trying new things, and two grandmothers who invited me into their kitchens at a young age. I enjoy cooking for the joy it brings me – sharing food with loved ones – and as a stress release. I turn to it equally during good times and bad. Now that I have two young children, I try to be conscientious about what we cook and eat. Right about the time I joined food52, I planted my first raised bed garden and joined a CSA; between the two I try to cook as sustainably and organically as I can. Although I’m usually cooking alone, my children are my favorite kitchen companions and I love cooking with them. I hope when they are grown they will look back fondly at our time spent in the kitchen, as they teach their loved ones about food-love.
Best of all, after years on the mainland for college and graduate school, I get to eat and cook and raise my children in my hometown of Honolulu, HI. When I’m not cooking, I am helping others grow their own organic food or teaching schoolchildren about art.