Cooking with Mother Goose: A
series of occasional posts inspired by children's stories and rhymes.
One, two,
Buckle my shoe;
Three, four,
Shut the door;
Five, six,
Pick up sticks;
Seven, eight,
Lay them straight;
Nine, ten,
Do it again.
That was my version, but as with so many nursery rhymes, there seem to be many variations that have evolved over the years. Wikipedia gives this one:
One, two,
Buckle my shoe;
Three, four,
Knock at the door;
Five, six,
Pick up sticks;
Seven, eight,
Lay them straight;
Nine, ten,
A big fat hen;
Eleven, twelve,
Dig and delve;
Thirteen, fourteen,
Maids a courtin';
Fifteen, sixteen,
Maids in the kitchen;
Seventeen, eighteen,
Maids a waiting;
Nineteen, twenty,
My plate's empty.
"Eleven-twelve, dig and delve" sounds familiar, but I couldn't square that with "do it again," which led us to restart the entire rhyme. I don't ever remember getting beyond twelve. I wonder how long it took me to learn how to count to thirteen.
Buckle, slump, crisp, cobbler, grunt, pandowdy. There are many intriguing dessert names. Buckle is a moist, fruit-laden cake with a streusel topping. It is often made with berries, and this version uses both blackberries and blueberries because that is what I had on hand. The sweetness of the blueberries was excellent with the muskiness of the blackberries, but any berry would do.
In addition to their general deliciousness, another great thing about berries is that they require very little preparation. There is no peeling or pitting. It's just a quick rinse and go. The cake is easy to throw together so it's perfect for a weeknight dessert. Or breakfast for that matter.
2009: Peach, Tomato, and Mozzarella Salad
2010: Blackberry-Ginger Jam
2011: Cantaloupe Agua Fresca
Adapted from Gourmet
Serves 8 to 10
35 minutes preparation time
approximately 60 minutes baking time
For the topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon lime zest (from 1 to 2 limes)
4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into about 10 pieces
For the batter:
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 cups berries
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan.
To make the topping, in a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour, and lime zest together with a fork. Add the butter and work it into the flour with your fingers, until the mixture ranges in size from grains of sand to small pebbles. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the vanilla and then the eggs one at a time, beating for a few seconds after each egg.
In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add it to the sugar-butter mixture all at once, and beat until it is just combined. Gently fold in the berries with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter into the cake pan and level it with the spatula. Sprinkle the streusel over the top. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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