Bourbon Drops Keep Falling On My Head...

It was raining bourbon for us this past weekend, it was in our glasses, it was in our appetizers and it was even in our dessert. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and with each and every bite and sip the day just kept getting sunnier and sunnier.
We began our day with bourbon over ice and nibbled on pineapple chunks that had been soaked in bourbon. Not to go overboard we left the bourbon out of the main entree` which consisted of chicken and dumplings, green beans and a tossed green salad with garlic herb bread. But we just had to end the dinner in the same great way we started so our dessert too got rained upon. Here's hoping that there is bourbon forecasted in your neck of the woods!

Bourbon Peach Cobbler

1 cup butter
2 cups of sugar
1 1/2 cups of self rising flour
1 cup of water
2-13 oz cans of sliced peaches in heavy syrup
1/2 cup of bourbon, mix in with the peaches and syrup

Melt butter. Mix all ingredients together except for peaches and bourbon mixture. Pour into 13x9x2 inch dish. Pour peach mixture over batter, do not stir.
Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees, or until golden brown.

Serve with your favorite ice cream or a touch of whipped cream.

Only Their Names Are Quirky.... Deep Down They Are Very Sweet.

Grunt, Crisp, Buckle, Pandowdy, cobbler, slump the list is as long as centuries of human imagination and the need to create satisfying foods that taste good.
Most of these types of desserts were created out of the need to improvise due to lack of certain ingredients and an abundance of others such as fruits and berries.
The grunts which make a grunting sound as they simmer and the slumps are basically cobblers. Crisps have some type of streusel for crunch and buckles have a cake layer that rises to the top. All of these comforting desserts at one time were considered puddings, a far cry from what we consider pudding today. We all seem to have our favorites usually based on the types of fruits that are used. I tend to lean towards the cherries and the blueberries when it comes to my grunts, crisps and cobblers. My mother prefers apple or rhubarb and my aunt (who is a peach) prefers peach.
Whatever kind of fruit you choose, whether you crisp or grunt or buckle, do it with some flair and make it Ala Mode!

Blueberry Grunt

1 lb. blueberries, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/2 cup half & half

Drain blueberries, measure and reserve 3/4 cup juice. Combine sugar, cornstarch, butter and reserved juice in large skillet. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add berries and simmer 1 minute longer. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium size bowl.
Beat egg and cream in small bowl. Stir into flour mixture. Drop mixture onto hot berries in 6 evenly spaced mounds. Cover skillet, simmer 25 minutes. Serve at once with yogurt or heavy cream.
You can also use peaches, apples, mangos, cherries, pineapple, rhubarb even grapes in the above recipe.