CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Last week, a dear friend shared a generous container of fat, juicy blackberries from a bucket her husband had laboriously picked from a thorny patch along Corridor G.

While searching for just the right recipe to use for this seasonal treat, I was amused by the names I found for old-fashioned berry desserts. There were the expected pies, crisps, crumbles, cobblers and buckles, but I'd never heard of flummeries, roly polies, pandowdies, grunts, slumps or fools.

I found a good explanation of these terms on Epicurious' and a few other Web sites:

Betty: A baked pudding made of alternate layers of sugared and spiced fruit and buttered bread crumbs. Its origins are in colonial America, and apple brown betty is the most popular version, although it can be made with any fruit.

Buckle: A single layer cake usually topped with berries, which sink into the batter as the buckle bakes. A cinnamony crumb topping sits on top of the buckle.

Crumble: A British dessert of raw fruit topped with a crumbly pastry mixture of oats, nuts, flour, butter and sugar before baking.

Cobbler: A deep-dish fruit dessert topped with a biscuit dough. The fruit is generally thickened with a little cornstarch or flour, and the biscuit dough is cut into rounds and placed on top, then sprinkled with sugar.

Crisp: Similar to a crumble, a baked dessert of raw fruit on the bottom layer, with a topping of oatmeal, brown sugar, butter, flour and cinnamon.

Flummery: A sweet pudding made from stewed fruit, usually berries, thickened with cornstarch, and served with milk or cream. They are sometimes flavored with sherry or Madeira.

Fool: A dessert generally made by mixing pureed fruit, whipped cream and sugar.

Grunt or slump: An old-fashioned dessert from New England, usually made with berries or apples. The fruit is stewed with sugar, then topped with a soft biscuit dough and baked.

Pandowdy: A deep dish dessert of sliced apples mixed with butter, spices and brown sugar or molasses, then topped with a biscuit batter that becomes crisp and crumbly after baking.

Roly poly: A pudding made of jam or fruit rolled up in pastry dough and baked or steamed until soft.

I found references to blackberry jam cakes, often with butterscotch icing, and also for blackberry spongecakes. I made a coffeecake, but think I'll try a simple spongecake next. My mom makes a good one she tops with fresh berries, then pours a bit of milk and places a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Reach Julie Robinson at jul...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1230.

Blackberry Coffeecake

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

2             cups flour

1             cup sugar

2             teaspoons baking powder

1             teaspoon salt

1/2            teaspoon cinnamon

1/2             cup margarine

1/2            cup pecans or walnuts, chopped

2             eggs

1             cup milk

1             teaspoon vanilla

1/3             cup brown sugar

3 1/2            cups blackberries

1/4             cup flour

2             tablespoons butter

SIFT together first five ingredients in a large bowl; cut in margarine until mixture looks like crumbs.

MIX together in another bowl eggs, milk and vanilla. Pour over flour mixture and stir until just moistened. Spread in a greased 8-by-12-inch pan; distribute berries on top.

COMBINE in a small bowl brown sugar, flour and butter. Mix with a fork until crumbly. Add nuts and sprinkle over top of cake.

BAKE at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Source: www.justberryrecipes.com

Hot Milk Spongecake with Blackberries

2              eggs

1              cup all-purpose flour

1              teaspoon baking powder

1              cup sugar

1/2              cup milk

2              tablespoon butter

Fresh blackberries

Vanilla ice cream, optional

LET eggs stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 9-by-2-inch round cake pan (batter will overflow a shallower pan); set aside.

STIR together in a small bowl flour and baking powder; set aside.

BEAT eggs in a large bowl on high about 4 minutes, until slightly thickened.

ADD the sugar gradually; beat on medium 4 to 5 minutes until pale yellow and thickened. Add flour mixture; beat on low to medium just until combined.

STIR milk and butter in a small pan over low heat until butter is melted; add to batter, beat to combine. Pour batter in pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

To serve, cut cake in wedges and top with blackberries and ice cream.

Source: recipe modified from one found on www.bhg.com

Blackberry Slump

For crumb topping

2 1/2             cups sugar

2 1/2             cups all-purpose flour

1             cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

For cake:

2 1/2             cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2             teaspoons baking powder

1/2             teaspoon salt

1             cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

1             cup dry white wine, room temperature

4             large eggs

2             cups sugar

1             teaspoon vanilla extract

2             (16-ounce) bags frozen blackberries or 4 cups fresh blackberries, frozen on sheet pan for 1 hour

Vanilla ice cream, optional

PULSE flour and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add 4 pieces butter and pulse until incorporated. Continue adding several pieces butter and pulsing until all butter is incorporated and mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Transfer to medium bowl and chill 30 minutes.

HEAT oven to 375 degrees F.

BUTTER and flour 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish.

WHISK together in a medium bowl flour, baking powder and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together melted butter and wine.

BEAT in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment eggs, sugar and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour and butter mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture, for 5 batches total.

POUR batter into prepared pan and top with blackberries, then cover with crumb topping, pressing down lightly to seal in blackberries. Bake slump until top is golden brown, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer to rack and cool 20 minutes.

SPOON slump while still slightly warm into individual bowls and top with vanilla ice cream.

Source: www.epicurious.com

Blackberry Roly Poly

2             cups blackberries

3/4             cup sugar

2             cups flour, sifted

1/2             teaspoon baking powder

1            large egg

1             tablespoon butter

1/2            to 1 cup water -- use sufficient amount to form a stiff dough.

MIX the pastry and roll it thin, about 1/4 inch thick.

SPRINKLE the berries with sugar.

SPREAD berries on the rectangle-shaped dough. Roll jellyroll fashion, and pinch sides and ends of pastry to seal completely.

PLACE  dough in a piece of wet muslin. Tie ends to form a bag. Lower the bag into a pan of boiling water and boil for 45 minutes of continuous boiling.

REMOVE roll from bag and place on serving platter. Slice. May be served with hard sauce.

Source: Larriland Farms Web site: www.pickyourown.com

Blackberry Shrub

2             quarts ripe blackberries

2             cups sugar (or more)

2/3             cup lemon juice

1             quart club soda

1             pint tart sherbet (optional)

CRUSH berries with sugar, cover and let stand overnight.

PRESS through a cheesecloth-lined sieve, extracting as much juice as possible. Mix in lemon juice. Taste for sweetness -- if too tart, add sugar, stirring until dissolved.

POUR into bottle, cover and refrigerate. Serve as is on the rocks in punch cups or small glasses, or, half fill a tall glass with shrub, add ice, and fill with club soda, or, pour into punch cups and top each serving with a scoop of tart sherbet

Source: www.justberryrecipes.com

Blackberries and Dumplings

Makes 4 servings

1/2             cup all-purpose flour

1/4             cup sugar, divided

1             teaspoon baking powder

1/4             teaspoon salt

1/4             cup skim milk

2             cups fresh blackberries

2/3             cup water

1/8             teaspoon ground nutmeg

COMBINE flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt; stir well. Stir in milk; set aside.

COMBINE blackberries, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and water in a saucepan; stir well.

BRING to a boil.

DROP about one-fourth of the batter at a time into boiling mixture; sprinkle with nutmeg.

COVER and cook over medium heat 10 to 12 minutes or until dumplings are done.

(About 144 calories per dumpling and 1/2 cup blackberry mixture).

Source: Larriland Farms Web site: www.pickyourown.com

Blackberry Upside-Down Cake

Makes 8 servings.

Topping:

1/4             cup butter

1/2             cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 1/2             teaspoons grated lemon zest (yellow rind)

1/4             cup chopped nuts (of your choice)

3             cups fresh blackberries

HEAT oven to 350 degrees.

MELT butter or margarine in a 10-inch cast-iron frying pan or a 9-by-2-inch cake pan over low heat.

STIR in brown sugar until blended. Remove from heat. Sprinkle lemon zest over the brown sugar.

SPRINKLE chopped nuts over the top. Arrange the blackberries in an even layer over the nuts; set aside.

Cake:

1             cup all-purpose flour

3/4             cup sugar

1 1/2             teaspoons baking powder

1/4             teaspoon salt

1             egg room temperature

1/2             cup milk

1/4             cup butter, room temperature

1/4             teaspoon grated lemon zest

1             teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1            teaspoon vanilla extract

COMBINE in a large bowl flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

ADD egg, milk and butter.

BEAT 2 minutes. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract; beat 2 minutes. Pour over blackberries in frying pan, spreading evenly.

BAKE 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes on a wire rack. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen; cover with a cake plate and invert. Serve warm.

Source: www.whatscookingamerica.net