Build Your Best: Fruit Crisps

I’d like to introduce you to a group of vintage fruit desserts you may have never heard of.

I present to you: 1. the fruit buckle, 2. the slump or grunt, and 3. the pandowdy. (And no, that last one is not how we greet each other in the South.)

They may be vintage, but they sure are awesome! The vast amount of fruit in a buckle would make a lesser cake batter do just that, so this batter is extra dense, but your buckle may still buckle. The slump (also called a grunt) may not stand tall on your plate, but it’s got delicious sweet dumplings on top, and is made on the stovetop — so it may be a good dessert option if your oven is occupied. A pandowdy is a very old American recipe traditionally made with apples and covered with a pie crust topping.

After baking, the pandowdy crust is to be broken up, absorbing the sweet, spiced liquid and turning it into a more pudding like consistency. And that’s it for the history lesson, folks. Now let’s talk current culinary affairs.