Apple Blackberry Buckle

Here is something tasty for a Sunday morning brunch, or weeknight dessert, or any possible excuse you can think of.  A fruit buckle can be made from any fruit, and belongs to an interesting branch of baking geneaology that also includes:  Cobbler, Crisps, Crumble, Brown Betty, Grunts, Slumps, Bird’s Nest Pudding, Sonker, and Pandowdy (according to http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/CobblerHistory.htm)

A Buckle- presumably- buckles as the rich topping of butter flour & sugar melts and bakes with the steam rising up from the baking fruit.  It is quintessentially American fare, going back to well before the Industrial Age, and it has always no doubt been welcome on the table of farm kitchens and Boston Brahmans alike.

Here is a recipe I adapted to use up some apples I had on hand, and some beautiful blackberries that a friend gave me yesterday.

1/2 c butter
1 c sugar
1 -1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

a couple gratings of nutmeg

1 egg
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 c diced apples

1 c blackberries
pinch of  salt
1/3 c milk
1 tsp vanilla

Combine 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour and cinnamon mix. Cream butter and sugar well. Beat in egg add dry ingredients add milk and vanilla. Spread in buttered and floured pan -I used a pyrex pan, a little smaller than 9 x 13  (no reason why you couldn’t use a good 9″ cast iron skillet)- add fruit over batter,

Now mix the remaining 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar, pinch of salt, and 1 cup of flour with your fingers, or a pastry blender (or give it a whirl in the food processor) and scatter the crumb mixture over all.   This is very good served warm, with a little ice cream or whipped cream…or just cream!

375F degrees for 45 minutes.