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Blackberry Bourbon Dumplings

Source of Recipe

From "Secrets of the Southern Table" by Virginia Willis


Recipe Introduction

"Throughout the South, wild blackberry patches can be found at the edge of fields, on the sides of roads, in ditches, through vacant lots, and in the undergrowth of woods. In late spring, the impenetrable thickets are covered in delicate white, lacelike flowers that belie the arching fiercely barbed canes—and possible venemous snakes that might be found hiding in the bramble! I can still hear my grandmother telling me not to get too close to the edge of the woods lest I 'get on a snake.' (By the way, it was not unreasonable advice, as every single species of deadly poisonous snake that lives in North America can be found throughout the South.) Free for the picking and gloriously sweet when warmed by the summer sun, blackberries are the taste of summer where I grew up in Georgia. My friend and colleague chef Jeremy Ashby of Lexington, Kentucky, shares a similar story of food and cooking. His began just as mine did, by the side of his grandmother named Sally B. (I'd bet money she fussed about snakes, too.) He shared with me this old-fashioned recipe that has a decidedly Kentucky twist."

List of Ingredients

For the blackberry syrup:
â—¦ 2 pints fresh blackberries
â—¦ 1 ½ cups sugar
â—¦ ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
â—¦ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ Pinch of fine sea salt

For the dumplings:
â—¦ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
â—¦ 2 tablespoons sugar
â—¦ 1 tablespoon baking powder
â—¦ 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
â—¦ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ 5 tablespoons Kentucky bourbon
â—¦ 1 cup milk
â—¦ Vanilla ice cream, for serving


Recipe

To make the blackberry syrup, set aside 4 to 6 blackberries for garnish and combine the remaining blackberries, sugar, lemon juice, butter, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries have broken down and form a syrup, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the dumplings, in a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add butter and 1 tablespoon of the bourbon and pulse to combine. While the machine is running, pour the milk through the feed tube until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.
Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to ¼ inch thick. Using a pastry wheel or a knife, cut into long strips about 1 ½ inches wide, then cut crosswise at 1 ½-inch intervals to create squares. (You're making dumplings, so the squares don't have to be perfect, but they should be about the same size so they cook at the same rate.)

Transfer the dumplings to the simmering blackberry syrup.
Cover and cook until puffed and cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. To serve, spoon a few dumplings into a bowl and top with cooked berries and syrup. Top with a scoop of ice cream. Splash each bowl with a tablespoon or so of the bourbon. Garnish with the reserved blackberries and serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6