Adapted from My Berlin Kitchen by Luisa Weiss (with a few changes by Monika Eisenberger)
Rote Gruetze is a summery pudding made by only very briefly cooking raspberries, sour cherries and red currents together with juice, a bit of sugar and cornstarch for thickening. Since we don’t have access to red currents, I adapted the recipe to use black raspberries or blueberries. Slippery-smooth, sweet-sour and refreshing Rote Gruetze’s berry bite is tamed with a creamy pool of vanilla sauce on top, but it can also be served with whipped cream.
¼ cup of cornstarch
2 cups cherry juice, no sugar added
¼ cup sugar (I like Rote Gruetze on the sour side, but more sugar can be added)
2 cups raspberries
2 cups black raspberries or blue berries
2 cups sour cherries, pitted (they are available jarred in the supermarket
z.B. Aldi)
Optional flavoring: grated lemon peel, vanilla bean, cinnamon stick.
Put the cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk in ¼ cup of water to make a lump-free slurry. Set aside.
Pour the juice in a heavy 4-quart pot and add the sugar (if using one of the flavoring, add them now) Set over med. heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the fruit to the pot and bring just to a boil.
Give the slurry another whisk and pour it into the pot, just as the fruit mixture begins to bubble. The Gruetze will start to thicken almost immediately. Bring it back to a boil.
Pour the pudding into a serving bowl and let it cool completely before refrigerating it over night.
Vanilla Sauce Powder can be purchased at Shop Rite ( z.B. Dr.Oetker)
Submitted by Monika Eisenberger