Cranberry Soup

A tart fruit soup thickened only by its dumplings, of the kind that camp cooks made from a bag of berries and a little flour. Two things need attention: the quart measure of berries and the dumplings, for which no recipe is given here.

• A quart of cranberriesMeasured whole, a quart of fresh cranberries is about 1 lb, or a standard 12 oz supermarket bag plus about another cup. Pick over and discard soft or shriveled berries before cooking.
• Why the first water is thrown outThe initial blanch was probably meant to draw off some of the raw astringency, which may be why the liquid is discarded. The recipe says only to bring it quickly to the boiling point and strain at once; longer boiling loses color and fruit into the drain.
• SugarOne cup to a quart of berries makes a distinctly sour soup by modern palates. Sweeten to taste at the end rather than at the start, since the dumplings will absorb some of the liquid and concentrate what remains.
• The dumplingsNone is specified. A plain drop dumpling of 1 cup flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon fat and about 1/2 cup milk, dropped in by the spoonful, suits the quantity here.
• Cook them coveredDrop dumplings steam as much as they boil. Put the lid on for the full 10 minutes and resist lifting it, or the tops stay raw and pasty. The liquid should be at a bare simmer, not a hard boil, which shreds them.
• Liquid levelFifteen minutes of open boiling will reduce a quart of water noticeably, and the berries will have burst into pulp. Top up with hot water before the dumplings go in so they have room to swim.
• YieldServes four to six as a first or last course. Best hot; on cooling it thickens somewhat, and may be eaten that way with cream.