Whats a Pan Dowdy?

Cobblers and dowdies, crisps and crumbles, buckles and betties-what are all these desserts?

With a little help from American Desserts by Wayne Brachman, we thought we would give you the answers-since you're just dying to know.

Cobblers: Cobblers are desserts with a syrupy fruit filling topped with biscuits or cake.

Pan Dowdies: These have pie crusts on top which are broken up and dunked in the fruit filling after baking.

Crisps and Crumbles: These familiar desserts have pie-like fillings with streusel toppings, often with nuts. A crisp is a crumble and a crumble is a crisp.

Buckles: Buckles are cakes that sink, and rise, and buckle as they bake. Our Caramel Swirl Crumb Cake is really a buckle-the caramel topping buckles through the cake as it bakes.

Betties: We remember apple betties from our childhood. Betties are fruit and crumb layered desserts.

Shortcakes: These are biscuits, often rich or sweetened biscuits, that are topped with fruit and whipped cream. Our Strawberry Shortcake recipe is an authentic shortcake recipe-not a white cake recipe topped with strawberries and cream.

Grunts and Slumps: These are fruit and dumpling dishes cooked on top of the stove. Supposedly, the fruit "grunts" as it cooks and the dumplings "slump" down into the filling. (We've made these out camping but we've never heard the fruit "grunt".)

Now you know.

Read on for related dessert recipes >

Receive information like this every week including recipes, articles, tips, and techniques--for free!

© 2004 The Prepared Pantry

How to Peel Almost Anything

The great English cook Prue Leith once famously remarked "life's... Read More

Cooking Filet Mignon

Filet mignon is French, of course, with filet meaning "thick... Read More

The Right Grill for Your Barbecue

Barbecue is a mix of talents. There is the choice... Read More

Homemade Whipped Cream

Most grocery stores carry cans of whipping cream ready to... Read More

10 Dishes Every New Bride or Groom Must Know How to Make!

Okay, you've either gotten married or are planning to pretty... Read More

6 Tips for Perfect Homemade Hard Candy

There's nothing better than the juicy, flavorful hard candy from... Read More

The Best-Kept Secrets of Beef Revealed! Get Ready to Become the Meat Expert in Your Family!

Do you helplessly stand at the meat counter looking from... Read More

What You Need in a Gourmet Kitchen

The best way to decide what you need in your... Read More

Seasoning An Oven

Untreated cast iron rusts, especially around water. To prevent metal... Read More

Food Poisoning--An Overview

What is Food Poisoning?Food poisoning results when you eat food... Read More

Two for One Dinners: Beef

If you find leftovers boring, uninviting or downright "yuck," then... Read More

Family Meal Planning Made Easy

As moms, we have hectic lives. Whether we work out... Read More

Eat your Veggies! Simple Cooking Methods

Vegetables add colour, taste, texture and bulk to our daily... Read More

Whisk Your Way To a Perfect Meal Every Time!

The whisk. A true versatile cooking utensil. Whisks come in... Read More

To Fry Or Not To Fry?

Here's a little known factoid - did you know that... Read More

Cake Pans

Cake pans?.the secret behind every successful cake. My husband tells... Read More

The Almighty Beer-Can Chicken

A popular method of cooking chicken in recent years both... Read More

10 Simple Kitchen Organizing Tips

A lot of the times we mean to get in... Read More

Wok this Way! (Part 4 of 5) Cleaning and Caring for Your Wok

Non-stick woks do not require seasoning, and come with simple... Read More

Fine Tuning Bread Machine Mixes

Sometimes bread machines can be tricky. We were trying to... Read More