Rote Grutze is a dessert made from a compote of red fruit, gently stewed in sweetened fruit juice, and traditionally served with German Vanilla Sauce. Red berries are customarily used such as red currants, raspberries and strawberries.
Rote Grütze is oftentimes referred to as Germany’s national dessert. Popular in northern Germany and into Denmark, this dessert, though easy to make, will impress even the most hard to please dessert connoisseur.
Ingredients
The culinary equation to make Rote Grutze looks like this:
Red fruit + Red fruit juice + Sweetener + Thickener = Rote Grutze
- Red fruits used in this recipe are raspberries, strawberries, black cherries and red cherries. Both the raspberries and strawberries were frozen, both sets of cherries were canned.
- The red fruit juice I used is tart cherry juice. I could also have used the juice the cherries were canned in.
- Brown sugar is the sweetener
- Cornstarch to thicken
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Pour the juice into a pot. Add the cherries and strawberries and bring to a low simmer.
Next add the raspberries. They should provide the dessert with additional texture.
Make a cornstarch slurry. Add it to the pot of fruit. Bring to the boil then simmer for 1 minute.
Rote Grütze is finished. Spoon it into serving containers immediately, or leave it to cool first.
Flexibility with Ingredients
Lots of flexibility with this recipe! A reminder of the culinary equation for Rote Grutze:
Red fruit + Red fruit juice + Sweetener + Thickener = Rote Grutze
- Red fruit can be any type of red berry or currants. Examples are strawberry, raspberry, red currant, cranberry, red grapes, and red cherries. Adding darker fruit such as blackberries or blueberries will not create a ‘red’ fruit dessert.
- Fruit can be fresh, frozen or canned, try to use a combination
- Use non sweetened fruit juice. This allows you to adjust the sweetness to your liking. Use the canned juices first if you used canned fruit. Other options are cranberry, tart cherry, red beet, pomegranate, and elderberry juices. Red wine is also used in Germany. Do not use wine only, that will make it too acidic. Dilute it with your choice of red juice, but do not exceed a 50:50 ratio of wine and juice.
- I used brown sugar to sweeten. It adds a richer flavor due to the presence of molasses. Feel free to use honey, molasses, date syrup, coconut sugar or maple syrup.
- Cornstarch is the only thickening agent I would use in this recipe. If you do not want to add it, then thicken your juice by reducing it. Simmer the juice only, on a medium heat, until about half of it evaporates. Then add the fruit.
Flexibility with how Rote Grutze is served.
Serve this dessert can warm or at room temperature. I like it at room temperature because it pairs well with the vanilla sauce and ice cream too.
Choose a clear glass dish to serve Rote Grutze in. Stemless wine glasses are a great option. I like to use ‘Bail’ jars otherwise known as hinged mason jars. I can store individual servings in them and use them as serving dishes too.
Uses for Rote Grutze
Rote Grutze is a classic dessert in Germany. It is a perfect final dish to any German entree. Yet, it will complement almost any style of entree, due to its mild flavor profile.
It is frequently eaten with yogurt, or quark (a soft spreadable cheese popular in Germany). The traditional way to serve it is with German Vanilla Sauce
Leftover Rote Grutze can beautify any pancake, waffle or cheesecake, it really is that versatile.
Storage
Rote Grutze will store in a well sealed container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. It may need to be stirred before serving because some liquid may pool at the surface. The Bail jars I use are excellent for storing Rote Grutze.
It can be frozen for up to 3 months again in a well sealed container. Defrost overnight in a refrigerator and stir well before consuming.
A Tip From Me about Rote Grutze
Don’t save this dessert as the highlight of a dinner party, although that is what it will be! Rote Grutze is such a quick, easy and versatile dessert, serve it as a midweek sweet treat. With the rise in availability of frozen berries, store some bags of fruit in the freezer. Have a couple of cans of cherries on hand in the pantry, just in case!
Equipment
I recommended using Bail jars for Rote Grutze. Fill the jars two thirds of the way, and close them. The leakproof rubber gasket will keep the Rote Grutze fresh and sealed from microbes and odors. Use them in the refrigerator and freezer. They stack well.
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Got Questions?
I’ve got answers – hopefully!
- Why is my Rote Grutze runny like a sauce? A couple of explanations come to mind. If you used primarily frozen fruits, they will contain more water than canned or fresh fruits. Reduce the pot of juice in step 1 if your ingredient list is relying on mostly frozen fruits. That means let the juice simmer for 10-20 minutes. You will see the quantity lessen. Then add in frozen fruits which will in turn add more liquid. Another solution to fix runny Rote Grutze is to add more cornstarch slurry to it until the desired thickness is reached.
- I have some leftover in the pot that did not fit into my jars, what should I do with it? First of all, don’t waste it! That’s an easy fix – store it in a mason jar or any type of container and spread it on your toast or English muffin in the morning!
- I forgot to stir while adding my cornstarch slurry and now I have big lumps of cooked cornstarch in it, what should I do? If at all possible, using a teaspoon, lift out the lumps. That might fix it! If the lumps are smallish and there are too many to remove, then the only thing left is to blend everything using a stick blender or food processor. The individual fruits will no longer be identifiable and the texture will change. It will be a thick puree, but completely edible. If you don’t want to serve it as Rote Grutze to guests, then serve vanilla bean ice cream sundaes and use it as a topping instead!
Recipe for Rote Grutze (German Red Fruit Pudding Dessert)
Equipment
- 4 Bail jars with hinged lids
Ingredients
- 1 lb Red fruit combination such as strawberries, raspberries, cherries. They can be fresh, frozen or canned.
- 6 fl oz Red fruit juice. Such as tart cherry, cranberry, beet, pomegranate, elderberry.
- 2 tbsp Brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
Instructions
- Pour the juice into a pot and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer juice for 3 minutes.
- Add fruit except for raspberries if using them. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in raspberries to the pot, if using them.
- Add 2 tbsp of water to the cornstarch. Blend together to make a slurry, ensure there are no lumps. Add to the fruit and juice in the pot.
- Stir gently but continuously to prevent clumping. After one minute, when the mixture has thickened, turn off the heat and allow to cool.
- Spoon the Rote Grutze into your container of choice. Options are Bail jars, mason jars, or glass dishes. Can be served warm or room temperature.
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