Blueberry buckle is a dessert with cake batter, fruit, and a streussel topping. What does that have to do with buckles? This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Buckle Desserts”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hi, this is Ellen Johnson in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Hi, Ellen. Welcome to the program.
Hello, Ellen.
Thank you. Hello.
What would you like to talk with us about?
I would like to know about an old-fashioned dessert, which I’ve never had.
It’s called the blueberry buckle.
My sister-in-law found a recipe for it.
I think she might have made it, but I haven’t had it yet.
And every summer she usually brings me a bag of wild blueberries that she’s picked up in Michigan.
And I don’t want to try this recipe until I know it’s really good.
But I just got to thinking about the word buckle and thought, well, that doesn’t even really make sense.
Because buckles are on your shoes and on your belts.
And why is it a blueberry buckle?
What a great question.
Yeah, yeah.
Do you have any guesses?
I have an answer.
You do?
Yes.
Okay, good.
Yes, so maybe you’ll want to make it if you know the meaning of the word.
Okay.
Think of buckle here not as a noun, but a verb.
Oh, okay. I never would have.
Yeah, yeah, it’s odd.
But if you think about it, I’ve never made it either,
But I gather that it’s got cake batter on the bottom,
And then it’s got the berries, and then it’s got this streusel top,
This kind of crumbly top.
And what happens is as the batter rises,
It’s not really strong enough to raise the berries and the streusel evenly.
And so it rises here and there, and it gives the cake this sort of buckled appearance.
Like pie tectonics.
Yes, exactly.
Or like, you know, bad asphalt in the road.
It buckles.
Or like an earthquake.
Like an earthquake, exactly.
Okay.
So now you’re going to try it?
Well, I’m going to wait until next summer when she brings me more wild blueberries.
Okay.
Probably.
I’ll have to ask her for the recipe, which I haven’t done either.
And would you like our mailing address?
I’ll send you a sample.
I’ll let you know.
Okay, great.
So, Ellen, thank you so much for calling us.
You’re welcome.
Thanks for answering my question.
Our pleasure.
And if you do make some of that, we insist on having some.
All right, bye.
Bye-bye.
Pie.
Nothing more need be said.
Send your pictures of the best pie you ever made to words@waywordradio.org.
