Rote Grütze with Sour Cherries and Raspberries

In a small bowl, thoroughly mix the cornstarch with 75 ml cold sour-cherry juice. The mixture should be a smooth, fluid, opaque pink slurry without dry lumps. Set it aside while you heat the remaining juice.

Pour the remaining 275 ml juice into a medium saucepan and add the sugar. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the juice comes to a gentle boil.

Stir the slurry again, as the starch settles at the bottom. Pour it into the boiling juice in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Cook over low heat for 1–2 minutes, stirring along the bottom, until the juice noticeably thickens and becomes glossy and translucent, without any milky cloudiness.

Add the frozen sour cherries without pits and the raspberries directly to the saucepan; do not thaw them, and do not drain off the juice. Heat over medium heat, stirring gently with a spatula, until the fruit thaws and the mixture returns to a gentle boil. Only then reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 5 minutes: the sour cherries should be soft and the raspberries partially broken down. Scrape along the bottom so the mixture does not stick, and do not keep cooking once it reaches this texture.

Divide the warm Rote Grütze among six shallow bowls. Leave for about 30 minutes, until it stops steaming, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve thoroughly chilled, once the juice has thickened but the mixture is still soft and easy to spoon. If the center is still lukewarm, chill it longer.