flipRødgrød med fløde — Red Berry Pudding with Cream
Rødgrød med fløde — Red Berry Pudding with Cream
Why this dish? Rødgrød is THE Danish national dessert, the one from Karen Blixen's childhood at Rungstedlund. Its impossible pronunciation ("rødgrød med fløde") is even the shibboleth of Danes. Serving it brings the baroness from Kenya back to the family table of Denmark.
A napping compote of red berries (redcurrants, raspberries) lightly thickened, served cold and drowned in a cloud of crème fraîche — tart, sweet, deep red.
Ah, rødgrød! Try to pronounce it, you foreigners — that is how you recognize a true Dane. As a child at Rungstedlund, I would watch for the moment when the maid poured cold cream over the scarlet jelly, and the two mingled in pink marbling. It must be served very cold, in a glass, and one must never skimp on the cream: it is a dessert that brooks no stinginess.
- •Redcurrants and raspberries (or strawberries) — a large bowl (base)
- •Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- •Potato starch — a spoonful (thickener)
- •Crème fraîche — as desired (serving)
Rødgrød med fløde — Red Berry Pudding with Cream
A napping compote of red berries (redcurrants, raspberries) lightly thickened, served cold and drowned in a cloud of crème fraîche — tart, sweet, deep red.
Why this dish? Rødgrød is THE Danish national dessert, the one from Karen Blixen's childhood at Rungstedlund. Its impossible pronunciation ("rødgrød med fløde") is even the shibboleth of Danes. Serving it brings the baroness from Kenya back to the family table of Denmark.
Ah, rødgrød! Try to pronounce it, you foreigners — that is how you recognize a true Dane. As a child at Rungstedlund, I would watch for the moment when the maid poured cold cream over the scarlet jelly, and the two mingled in pink marbling. It must be served very cold, in a glass, and one must never skimp on the cream: it is a dessert that brooks no stinginess.
Ingredients (period version)
- Redcurrants and raspberries (or strawberries) — a large bowl (base)
- Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- Potato starch — a spoonful (thickener)
- Crème fraîche — as desired (serving)
Ingredients
- Mixed red berries (redcurrants, raspberries, strawberries) — 600 g (base)
- Sugar — 100 g (adjust for tartness) (sweetness)
- Water — 300 ml (cooking)
- Potato starch — 2 tbsp dissolved in a little cold water (thickener)
- Cold whole liquid cream — 200 ml (serving)
- 1 vanilla pod (optional) — 1 (flavor)
Method
- Cook the red berries with water and sugar for about ten minutes, until they burst.
- Pass through a sieve to remove seeds and skins if a smooth texture is desired (optional).
- Return to a simmer, pour in the dissolved starch while stirring, until lightly thickened and napping — do not boil vigorously.
- Pour into glasses, dust with a veil of sugar to prevent a skin, and let cool completely in the refrigerator.
- At serving time, generously pour cold unwhipped cream on top.
How it was made : In Denmark, rødgrød was a way to use the summer's abundance of berries; thickened in the past with semolina or potato starch, it was eaten warm or cold. The unwhipped cream, poured at the last moment, is the festive touch that distinguishes it from everyday grød.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a verrine, scarlet jelly at the bottom, lightly sweetened whipped cream on top, with a few fresh raspberries and mint leaves for a contemporary Nordic dessert.
Sources : Kristine Marie Jensen, Frøken Jensens Kogebog, 1901
Karen Blixen · Charactorium
