Blueberry Grunt

  The name Blueberry Grunt may sound a little odd to those not from the Maritimes. The name actually comes from the sound that the dish makes while cooking. It is a dish of blueberries with a batter topping. As the dish is cooked, the stewing berries release steam that bubbles up through the cooking batter with a grunting sound, hence the name. For many of us the name has been shortened to just be "Grunt". At the season when blueberries are ripening, many a meal is ended with a "Grunt".
  We have never tried this meal with other berries, but I don't see any reason why it would not work with any high liquid berries. We may have to try a Blackberry Grunt when the berries are ripe in a couple of weeks.
  A Grunt can be made in two ways, baked in the oven or on top of the stove in a covered pot. This recipe is for the oven baked variety. To cook on the stove takes a different batter and cooking method and in my opinion makes a different dish.

Here is the oven baked recipe.

 Recipe
4 cups fresh blueberries(can use frozen)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

batter
1 1/2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp chilled butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg

Directions
preheat oven to 350F
Place Blueberries in a greased 9x11 casserole dish
Sprinkle with the sugar and spices

Mix Flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl.
Cut in butter
Beat egg with buttermilk and stir into dry ingredients just until moist.
Dollop the batter over the berries and sprinkle the top with a bit of sugar.
Bake for 30-50 minutes until toothpick comes out of topping clean.
Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Blueberry Grunt hot out of the oven with whipped cream

This is truly a dish best enjoyed hot out of the oven with the whipped cream or ice cream melting over it. It also makes a great breakfast cold the next morning and will fuel you for the day with good nutrients. Plus it so much fun to tell your friends or coworkers that you had a "Grunt" for breakfast. 

  We hope that you enjoy the recipe and it inspires you to try some of the old family heirloom recipes that are kicking around in cookbooks that are handed down through the generations. Many of these old recipes are simple and tasty and come from a time when a myriad ingredients were not available. They were quick and cheap to produce.

Cranberry Scones

  When I started to write this post, I stopped to look at what a scone really is. We here on the South Shore of Nova Scotia have a varied and intermixed history with the French, British, Scottish, German and Aboriginal backgrounds that we share and are a mixture of. When I first had a scone, I thought this is just a fancy Tea Biscuit. It is similar to a Tea Biscuit and I guess similar to Bannock from the Scottish Background. Once I looked it up on-line I was satisfied that what we make is in actuality a scone.

  We love the Cranberry Scones and find them fairly quick to make if you are in a hurry and they are soooooo good hot from the oven slathered with butter.

Ingredients

3/4 cup Craisins(dried cranberries)
1/4 cup boiling water
1 3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup yellow corn meal
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp chilled butter
2 Tbsp shortening
1/3 cup plain Low Fat yogourt
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla

1 large egg white
2 tsp sugar

Directions
  Combine craisins and boiling water in a bowl and cover, let stand 10 min or until softened. Drain and set aside.
  Preheat oven to 400F
  Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cup, level with a knife.
  Add flour, sugar, corn meal, baking powder and salt in a large bowl
  Cut in butter and shortening until it resembles coarse meal.
  Combine craisins, yogourt, milk and vanilla.
  Add wet ingredients to dry mixture, mixing just until moistened
  Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead lightly 4 times. DO NOT OVER HANDLE THE DOUGH OR THEY WILL NOT RISE UP AND BE FLAKY
  Pat dough into a 4"x8" rectangle and cut into 2"x2" squares (8 scones)
  Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
  Brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar
  Bake at 400F for 12-15 minutes

The scones can be eaten hot from the oven lathered in butter, my favourite way.  They also make a great treat to pack and take on a picnic if you are travelling.

We often have sliced cheese and fruit on the side to have a balanced meal. However you have them they are delicious and fairly quick. When we are running on a hectic schedule we find that these can be whipped up in nearly the same amount of time as a fast food meal can take at rush hour. And it is real food.

We hope you enjoy the recipe.