Blueberry Dumplings
The weekend before the 4th of July is my favorite time to go blueberry picking. And in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, where the modern commercial blueberry was first cultivated, the branches of highbush blueberries are practically bent down to the ground, weighed down with grape-sized blueberries.
Being a South Jersey girl, I’ve got blueberries flowing through my veins. There’s a reason why the highbush blueberry is our state’s official fruit. One of my favorite, most highly anticipated summer time desserts, were blueberry dumplings, a recipe that came from my great-grandmother’s Great Depression Era kitchen. They’re so easy to make and only use a few ingredients.
There are no portions for the blueberry dumpling part of this recipe, because it really depends on how many blueberries you’ve got on hand. The general rule of thumb though is to make each dumpling palm-sized. Cut the pie crust into a square that fits in your hand, put enough blueberries to fill but not over stuff the dough, and sprinkle just a bit of sugar on the blueberries, so that when they bake, it creates a sweet blueberry syrup.
The cream sauce does have more strict rules though because it’s very easy to mess up and burn. Use low-medium heat for the cream sauce and stir almost constantly so that you don’t caramelize the sugar and cornstarch.
Ingredients
For Dumplings
Pie crust
blueberries
sugar
cinnamon
water
For Cream Sauce
1 cup milk
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut pie crust into small squares that fit in the palm of your hand. Put the square of dough in your hand and under fill the pie crust with blueberries. Sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon of sugar on the blueberries. Pinch the edges of the pie crust together to create a dumpling.
Fill the bottom of baking dish with 1/3 inch of water. Stir about 1 tablespoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of sugar into the water.
Place each dumpling into the baking dish in the sugar cinnamon water. Bake at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes.
While blueberry dumplings are baking heat ingredients for cream sauce over low-medium heat. Continuously stir until the sauce thickens. Once thick, remove from heat.
After the blueberry dumplings are finished baking, let them cool for 30 minutes. Serve with cream sauce and enjoy!
Get recipes delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for Amuse-Bouche!