Rainy mountains majesty: Huckleberry Slump

On Friday, we three made a few sandwiches, hopped into the car, plugged in Garmin and set off for Mt. Rainier. I am used to the more difficult trip to the North entrance so the ride to Longmire was a breeze. Unlike Bob and my crawl to the more famous Yosemite, we three got there lickidysplit with almost no traffic. It did seem a bit strange to be on the mountain and not be able to see a trace of the mountain. Ronnie asked the park ranger where Mt. Rainier would be if it were out and took a shot of a hazy white area beyond the tall trees. If pressed, Ronnie was ready to paste a postcard in the appropriate spot. 

It was a perfect fall day in the Cascades—grey, drizzly, soft air with the sunshine-yellow leaves bright against dark evergreens. We took a short loop through the trees along bubbly mineral pools, grassy meadows, and giant pines. Except for the three of us, the park seemed empty and we ate our lunch in silence, reluctant to disturb the peace. 

That night we joined my sisters and brother-in-law at a dockside restaurant near the ferry dock. Food there can be inconsistent but Friday night everything hit the mark: steamed mussels, fish 'n chips, cioppino, clam linguini, chicken teriyaki burger, and shrimp roast. But the extraordinary item was Huckleberry Slump for dessert. We justified the unnecessary addition by ordering one slump, six spoons. To die for comes to mind. If you want to blow their mind, make a batch with Sharon Kramis's recipe, included below.

Next day was Vashon day—island tour starring KVI Beach, Pt. Robinson's lighthouse, and family dinner. Cousins, aunts, uncles, sisters, daughters, and kids—all around the family table sharing good food and great times.




KVI Beach


KVI Beach



The Ronnies



Family picture courtesy of kind beachcombers



  • Huckleberry Slump


    Berry filling:

  • 4 cups huckleberries (see note)

  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

  • Topping:

  • 1 cup self-rising flour (see note)

  • 2/3 cup sugar

  • 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

  • 1 cup whipping cream

  • Optional:

  • 1 pint vanilla ice cream

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix huckleberries with sugar and cornstarch, and pour into an 8-inch-square baking pan. [One could bake individual portions of slump in smaller oven-safe dishes.] Set aside.

  • Mix flour with sugar. Cut butter into small pieces and mix in with flour mixture, until mixture is grainy. Slowly add whipping cream to flour mixture.

  • Spread topping evenly over huckleberries. Bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream.

  • Notes:

  • Slump may be made with 4 cups blueberries if huckleberries are not available. [If using frozen berries, don’t thaw them completely before using them, or they’ll lose all their juice. Even partially frozen berries give up a lot of liquid.]

  • If self-rising flour is not available, use 1 cup all-purpose flour mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.




Posted by Marla Nichols at 10/27/2011 2:53 PM
Categories: Dessert, Pacific Northwest, American
Tags: Mt. Rainier Longmire Olympics slump Sharon Kramis
 

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