Danish Rødgrød Med Fløde – red berry pudding with cream

If, like me, you have been trying to learn Danish since you were about five (watching The Killing with the subtitles off, basically), the one phrase that Danes love making you repeat for their own entertainment is “rødgrød med fløde.”

The closest I can get to it phonetically in English is “rurt-th grut-th meth flurth,” and the gruntier you can say it the better; they will all still fall about laughing, but it’s worth it for the pudding.

A silky smooth dessert traditionally made from redcurrants, you can vary it with whatever red berries are in season. Served warm or cold, with a dash of cream and a sprinkling of sugar, it will last up to two days in the fridge if your family haven’t whopped off the lot within minutes.

Ingredients

1 ½ lb berries, such as redcurrants, strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb or blackcurrants, or a combination. Blackcurrants have a very strong flavour for this dish, so I tend not to use more than 8oz or so for one batch.

3 cups of water

1 cup of sugar

½ cup cornflour dissolved in ½ cup cold water

Whipped cream and sugar to serve

Method

Wash and roughly chop your fruit (removing the strawberry hulls if necessary), place in a large pan and cover with the water. Bring to the boil then simmer, until the fruit has started to break down, generally around 20 minutes or so.

Remove from the heat and strain the juice through a sieve or muslin. Discard the fruit pulp, and then place the juice back on the stove with the sugar, stirring until it has fully dissolved.

Now turn down the heat to medium, and slowly pour in the cornflour and water mixture, stirring continuously until the fruit juice thickens into a silky smooth, gel-like syrup.

Pour into individual serving dishes or one large bowl, and allow to cool before serving with a dollop of cream and a sprinkle of sugar if necessary.