Rote Grütze

Method

1. Pick over the berries. Halve strawberries if they are large and pit the cherries. Keep about a third of the fruit aside; that portion goes in at the end and stays whole.
2. Stir the cornstarch smooth into 50 ml of the cold juice and set it aside.
3. Bring the rest of the juice to a simmer with the sugar, salt, and the split vanilla pod and its seeds. Add the larger two thirds of the fruit and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until the berries soften and give up their colour.
4. Whisk in the starch slurry and let it boil for a full minute, stirring. It has to boil or the starch will not set and the Grütze stays cloudy and thin.
5. Off the heat, fold in the reserved fruit and the lemon juice. The residual heat is enough to warm it through without breaking it up.
6. Fish out the vanilla pod. Pour into a bowl, press cling film onto the surface so no skin forms, and chill at least 3 hours. It thickens noticeably as it cools.
7. For the sauce, heat the milk with the vanilla pod and seeds until steaming. Whisk the yolks, sugar, and cornstarch smooth in a bowl. Pour in about a third of the hot milk while whisking, return everything to the pot, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of a spoon. The starch lets it come to a bare simmer without curdling.
8. Strain into a jug, cover the surface, and chill. Serve the Grütze cold with the sauce poured over.

Notes

• Red currants are what stop this being jam. If you cannot find them, add another 10 ml of lemon juice.
• Frozen berry mix works all year and is what most people in Germany actually use. Add it frozen and give it an extra minute or two.
• 30 g of starch for this much fruit gives a Grütze you can spoon, with the berries still loose in it. If you want it firm enough to slice, go to 40 g. Any more and it turns rubbery once cold.
• Skip the eggs and you have the shortcut Vanillesoße: 400 ml milk, 30 g sugar, 20 g cornstarch, and vanilla, boiled for a minute. Slightly less rich, still good, and it will not curdle.
• Everything keeps 4 days in the fridge and both parts freeze. Make it the day before; it is better cold and fully set.
• Leftovers go on quark, yogurt, rice pudding, Grießbrei, or waffles.

Sources used

• Foodboom: Rote Grütze nach Omas Rezept
• Leckerschmecker: Rote Grütze mit Vanillesoße
• Malte’s Kitchen: Rote Grütze
• REWE: Rote Grütze selber machen

Passt gut zu

• Käsespätzle
• Sauerbraten

Von Christoph Mayer