You may be asking yourself, what the heck is a blueberry grunt? If you're from Atlantic Canada or live on the East Coast of the US, the chances are you may have heard of or possibly even eaten this delicious rustic dessert at least once in your lifetime.
Topped with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream, blueberry grunt is a traditional, rustic Acadian dessert. Very similar to a cobbler, a blueberry grunt is traditionally cooked on the stovetop and covered with a lid instead of baked in the oven, though you could easily bake a blueberry grunt as well. The name of this odd-sounding dessert comes from the the odd grunting sound the blueberry sauce makes as it cooks underneath the dumpling-style crust.
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Table of Contents
An East Coast Tradition
The Atlantic Provinces of Canada, are rich in culinary history. With influences from both French and British cuisine, many old recipes (and in this case cobblers) are perfectly suited to using the locally available foods. With a relatively harsh climate to work and survive in, using the locally available and even forage-able foods, was an important part of everyday life. The advent of modern agriculture and grocery stores made life a lot easier of course, but locally available foods are still often superior in quality and taste.
From the simple lobster roll, to hearty dishes such hodge podge, or chicken pot pie, these simple recipes using locally abundant foods define what has now been dubbed 'East Coast Cuisine'. This blueberry grunt recipe is no different. With an abundance of wild blueberries in the Maritime provinces, it was almost inevitable, that early settlers would not incorporate them into their desserts somehow.
Thus the blueberry grunt was born.
Here on Prince Edward Island, the blueberry season generally runs from the end of July through August. With plenty of blueberry u-picks available, trekking through the woods and fields looking for wild berries isn't necessary anymore, and blueberry picking is a unique activity anyone can experience in the late summer.
Wild blueberries (especially locally grown ones) simply taste so much better than mass-produced, commercially grown fruit. The reason for this is partially due to the fact that the harsh climate of Eastern Canada makes the blueberry plants work harder to survive, producing sweeter, more intensely flavored, and smaller-sized berries.
What's The Difference Between A Grunt, Cobbler, And A Crisp?
All of these fruit desserts are very similar indeed, and it can be easy to confuse them. When it comes down to it though, a grunt is just another name for a cobbler. A 'grunt' can also be called a 'slump' depending on where in Atlantic Canada you are. That leaves us with cobblers and crisps.
- Fruit cobblers are fruit-based desserts that are either cooked on the stove (or baked) and topped with a savory dumpling, biscuit, or other doughy batter.
- Fruit crisps, are very similar to cobblers in that they utilize fruit as a base and are baked in the oven. Crisps are topped with a crumbly topping consisting of oats, brown sugar, and flour. This mixture crisps up as the butter melts, and the sugar caramelised.
East Coast Blueberry Grunt
A really easy recipe to throw together any time of the week, making blueberry grunt requires virtually no special equipment. All you need is two bowls and a mixing spoon, as well as a deep-sided pan or cast iron skillet and a stovetop! Not going to lie here, a cast iron pan is perfect for baking a blueberry grunt, (or other cobbler) and just looks cool!
A blueberry grunt is traditionally cooked on a stove and not baked, making it the ideal camping dessert! Simply follow the instructions below, but cook the blueberry grunt in a cast iron dutch oven over hot coals!
Chef Markus
While it's true that a blueberry grunt is traditionally only cooked on the stovetop, the dumplings steamed as the blueberries cook. I prefer a combination of stovetop cooking and baking to create a golden brown, crisp dumpling crust.
You'll need:
Blueberry Sauce
- 4 cups of fresh blueberries or 800 grams of frozen fruit
- 1 cup white sugar,
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ lemon juiced
- a splash of water if using fresh fruit
Dumpling Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ tablespoon baking powder
- ½ cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 egg
- ⅔ cup of milk + a splash if needed
- ½ cup butter
Cooking The Blueberries
I always start by cooking the blueberries first so that they can simmer while I prepare the dumpling batter.
Pour the berries into a deep-walled pan or cast iron skillet (which seems like they were created just for this). Add the sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice then cook the blueberries over medium heat until you create a bubbling blueberry sauce. If using fresh berries add just a splash of water to the pan to prevent the sugar from burning. If you use frozen berries this is not needed as the frozen fruit will release liquid as they cook.
Making The Biscuit Topping
While the blueberries cook, mix together the batter ingredients as you would when making homemade biscuits.
Start by measuring out the dry ingredients and mixing them together. Make sure to sift out any lumps of baking powder, otherwise, you'll end up with chunks of it in your batter that won't 'break down'.
Use a fork and mix in the butter until it is evenly crumbled throughout the flour mixture. The mix should now be crumbly with little bits of butter a little smaller than the size of peas.
Mix together the egg and milk, and pour this into the flour/butter mix. Use a spoon to create a shaggy dough. If it's a little too thick, add a splash of milk to it to thin it out.
Using two spoons,( an ice cream scoop also works well if you have one) carefully plop chunks of this batter directly into the bubbling blueberry sauce. Space out the batter to help it cook evenly and cover as much of the blueberry grunt as you can. Cover the pan with a lid or tinfoil and let it cook over low heat for 15 minutes.
At this point preheat your oven to 400°F. As the blueberry grunt cooks be patient, and don't open the lid! The steam created by the cooking blueberries will help cook the dumplings. Don't be surprised if you hear odd grunting sounds!
Once the 15 minutes is up, remove the lid, and place the blueberry grunt in the oven to brown up the biscuit topping. This part is not required, and is an extra step, but I just love that crisp crunch!
The blueberry grunt is best served immediately while hot, and topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. A great fall dessert, serve this at your next family gathering or potluck!
Recipe
East Coast Blueberry Grunt
Ingredients
Blueberry Sauce
- 4 cups of fresh blueberries or 800 grams of frozen fruit
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ whole lemon juiced
- a splash of water if using fresh fruit
Dumpling Dough
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ tablespoon baking powder
- ½ cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 whole egg
- ⅔ cup milk + a splash if needed
- ½ cup butter
Instructions
Cooking The Blueberries
- Start by cooking the blueberries first so that they can simmer while you prepare the dumpling batter.
- Pour the berries into a deep walled pan or cast iron skillet. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Cook the blueberries over medium heat until you create a bubbling blueberry sauce.
- If using fresh berries, add just a splash of water to the pan to prevent the sugar from burning. If you use frozen berries this is not needed as the frozen fruit will release liquid as they cook.
Making The Biscuit Topping
- While the blueberries cook, mix together the batter ingredients as you would when making homemade biscuits.
- Start by measuring out the dry ingredients and mixing them together. Make sure to sift out any lumps of baking powder, otherwise you'll end up with chunks of it in your batter that wont 'break down'.
- Use a fork and mix in the butter until it is evenly crumbled through out the flour mixture. The mix should now be crumbly with little bits of butter a little smaller then the size of peas.
- Mix together the egg and milk, pour this into the flour/butter mix. Use a spoon to create a shaggy dough. If its a little to thick, add a splash of milk to it to thin it out.
Top The Blueberry Grunt & Cook
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Using two spoons, ( an ice cream scoop also works well if you have one) carefully plop chunks of this batter directly into the bubbling blueberry sauce. Evenly space out the batter to help it cook evenly and cover as much of the blueberry grunt as you can. Cover the pan with a lid or tinfoil and let it cook over low heat on the stovetop for 15 minutes.
- As the blueberry grunt cooks be patient, and don't open the lid! The steam created by the cooking blueberries will help cook the dumplings. Don't be surprised if you hear odd grunting sounds!
- Once the 15 minutes is up, remove the lid, and place the blueberry grunt in the oven to brown up the biscuit topping.
- Serve immediately while hot, topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Andy
Loved it! Easy to make.. and almost tasted like mamas. Only thing I’d recommend is less lemon juice. I found half a lemon made it a tad too tart. Other than that.... perfection!
Chef Markus Mueller
Hey Andy, thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Susan
Just served this to the family for dessert and it was a raving success! We grew up eating grunts of every description and this is a particularly good rendition. The only tweak I made was to cut the sugar in half and add a couple tablespoons of maple syrup. I made it a cast skillet (you’re right too cool) and served it with homemade ice cream. Nice recipe, method works well?
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Susan, So glad to hear everyone loved the recipe! Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more delicious recipes!
Monica Thomson
Making Blueberry Grunt for relatives from Ontario... should be the perfect ending to a wonderful summer day! This is a long standing tradition in our family!
Chef Markus Mueller
Awesome! Enjoy the recipe!
Joyce
Love blueberries! Never tried making a grunt before! Must try!
Chef Markus Mueller
It is super easy, you'll love it!
Kristen
This looks incredible, what a great way to use up all the last of the berries for the season.
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking
The blueberries in this grunt look so juicy! I'm from the east coast and I've definitely heard this dessert called a grunt more than a cobbler. Perfect use for the last of my local blueberries!
Jessica Pinney
Oh my goodness this looks AMAZING! I'm busting out my cast iron skillet and picking up some blueberries tomorrow so I can try it myself.
Chef Markus Mueller
Awesome! take a picture for us and tag us on social media! @earthfoodandfire
Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life
I've never heard of a grunt so I totally appreciate your thorough run down of the differences between a grunt, cobbler and crisp. It sounds delicious so I'll definitely have to give it a try!
Chef Markus Mueller
Honestly I didn't know the difference before doing the research for this post either!
Jodi Wagner
Want to make this but dont have a cast iron skillet. What can I use instead
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Jodi, if you don't have a cast iron pan, simply use a cassrole dish! It will work just as well.
Kitty
Fascinating how the same dish can have different names depending on location. But no matter what you call it this looks delish!
Chef Markus Mueller
Thanks Kitty!
Michele
This looks amazing! And I love learning about new foods I've never heard of. Can't wait to try this blueberry grunt! 😀
Tammy
I've never heard it called a grunt before, but whichever name you call it, it looks fabulous. I love cobblers because they are so easy and great for using up any leftover fruit. This looks wonderful!
Chef Markus Mueller
They are perfect for that! I guess there really would be nothing stopping you from making a strawberry grunt, or a mixed berry grunt!
Jessica (Swanky Recipes)
Tomorrow I'm making blueberry danishes and I need a recipe to use the rest of the blueberries up in. I love a good dumpling recipe and this will be perfect for dessert later this week!
Chef Markus Mueller
That's perfect! If you do make it, take a picture and tag us on social media! @earthfoodandfire
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
This looks like such a great way to finish up all those delicious summer berries! I'm not sure that I've ever officially eaten a grunt, but the method does sound familiar to me. My family would love this!
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness
I have never had a blueberry grunt, but it looks fantastic! Honestly, I love anything with blueberries in it <3
Chef Markus Mueller
Same here Cathleen! Blueberries are a favorite in my house, I have been trying to grow my own for the past few years, but no real success so far!
Ruchi
I have a gallon zip lock bag full of hand picked blueberries- oh what a way to use them!
Chef Markus Mueller
YUMMY! That's a decent sized bag of berries!
Kiki Johnson
I love blueberry grunt! It is similar to the little steamed sweet dumplings I grew up with in Germany so when I first came to Canada this dessert was comfortingly familiar, yet different with that delicious thick blueberry sauce! Your recipe sounds delicious!
Anne
I am from the East Coast US, but (sadly) have never heard of a blueberry grunt. This looks delicious! I love that the blueberries shine in this recipe!