Cranberry slump

A slump is like clafoutis (cla-foo-TEE), a French country dessert with fruit on the bottom and a pancake batter-like crust on the top. It is often made with apples or pears. This easy recipe highlights one of North America’s native fruits, the cranberry. The Wampanoag natives, who helped the Pilgrims through their first difficult year in the New World, made liberal use of this berry, which is rich in vitamin C, antioxidants and bacteria-fighting proanthocyanidins. Harvested annually from mid-September through early November, these ruby-red orbs keep for a month or more in the refrigerator. They freeze well, too; just be sure the berries are dry when you freeze them.

This dessert recipe calls for a full cup of sugar to offset the extreme tartness of the berries. If you wish to reduce the amount of sugar, use equal amounts of sliced apples and whole cranberries—1 cup each. Reduce the sugar to ¾ cup, using ¼ cup to sprinkle over the fruit and the remaining ½ cup for the batter. Chopped walnuts or pecans may be substituted for the sliced almonds. If you opt for walnuts or pecans, flavor the batter with vanilla extract instead of almond extract. This dessert is best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or generous dollop of freshly whipped cream.

Cranberry slump

2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained

1 cup sugar, divided

½ cup sliced almonds

1 egg

½ cup flour

¼ cup butter, melted

½ teaspoon almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch pie plate.

2. Place cranberries in pie plate. Sprinkle with ½ cup sugar and nuts.

3. Beat egg well; gradually add remaining ½ cup sugar, beating until foamy. Add flour, melted butter and almond extract. Beat until thoroughly blended. Spread over berries.

4. Bake for 45 minutes or until cranberries are bubbly and crust is golden brown.