mixed berries and dumplings

I am very fond of Deb over at Smitten Kitchen. I follow her blog regularly and am constantly amazed at how simple and delicious her recipes are. Each recipe (usually adapted from another source) is accompanied by breathtakingly beautiful photographs and quirky commentary. Anyway, here is a recent recipe that I fell absolutely in love with. It's easy, it's quick, and it's oh-so delicious. The perfect summer dessert. 

Mixed Berries and Dumplings

(adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

1-2 cups strawberries, trimmed and thickly sliced

1 cup blueberries

1 cup raspberries

1/4 cup sugar

juice of half a lemon

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Accompaniment: Heavy cream

Stir together berries, sugar and lemon in a 4-quart heavy saucepan and let stand, stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 15 minutes. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

For the dumplings:

Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Heat the milk and butter together just until butter melts (either stovetop or in the microwave). Stir the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until incorporated and smooth. Gather a ping pong-ball sized portion of the batter onto a small spoon and push it onto the stew using a second spoon. Do this until you cover the fruit with dumplings, leaving about 1/4 inch between each. 

Tightly cover saucepan and reduce heat to low. Cook, undisturbed, until dumpling looks dry on top, about 15 to 18 minutes; the dumplings will have doubled in size. Let stand off heat, uncovered, five minutes, then drizzle with heavy cream right before serving.

For the clever commentary and the juicy photographs, check out Deb's blog here: 

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/06/strawberries-and-dumplings