Cocoa and Lavender: Southern Comfort

This is one of my favorite simple desserts. It's a traditional southern recipe that was given to me decades ago. It's not fancy, or elegant, or complicated. In fact, it's the antithesis of those things.

It's comforting, simple, tasty, and addictive. Oh, and buttery.

You may remember hearing about it in the play or movie Steel Magnolias. The recipe, as given in the script, does work according to several bloggers, but all say it's dorm food, at best.

The name of my version - Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa - is misleading. Yes, it's a cup of flour, a cup of sugar, and a cup of milk. But it's also a stick of butter and several cups of fruit in syrup. (Please don't reduce the butter to make it healthy. Either make it right, or get yourself a piece of fresh fruit!)

The flour called for is the self-rising type. Simply add a teaspoon each of baking powder and salt to all-purpose flour to make it rise.

An aside: I just had a wonderful visit with my fellow blogger, Nazneen who writes Coffee and Crumpets. Following a sumptuous Indian meal, she served her peach cobbler, a recipe she brought back from Texas. It turns out that it is basically Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa. It was fun comparing our recipes... maybe she will post hers soon. (Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa is also known as Grannie's Cobbler in the South.)

I guess the name of the recipe should be "Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa Tsp Tsp Stick & Fruit." But that just ain't catchy, now, is it?

Blueberry Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa

1 teaspoon baking powder

2-3 cups blueberry compote (recipe follows)

vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Place the butter in a 9-inch cast-iron frying pan and place in the oven to melt the butter – approximately 5 minutes.

While butter is melting, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the milk and whisk until you have a smooth batter.

When butter is completely melted - it's okay if it has begun to brown a little - remove the pan from the oven and add the batter. Don't be startled as the butter oozes to the sides and begins to cover the batter. That’s normal.

Next, pour the 3 cups fruit in syrup slowly into the center of the batter. It will creep under the batter. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, until deep golden brown; the batter will puff up over the fruit and form a wonderful buttery crust.

Serve hot or warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This is best the day you make it!

Blueberry Compote

1 pound blueberries

cinnamon, optional

Mix the fruit and sugar, and cinnamon if using, in a large saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook until fruits are softened and mixture seems syrupy – 10-15 minutes. Let cool completely before making the Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa.

Variations: As the seasons change, you can mix and match many fruits to make this: I like mixed berries in the winter (as we can easily buy bags of flash-frozen mixed berries), or you can use diced peaches, apricots, plums, pears, or apples.