GRANDMA’S OLD-FASHIONED SEMOLINA PUDDING WITH BLACKCURRANT JUICE
“Spooky greetings, children! The hottest Halloween treat is here — or is grandma playing a trick? Have you ever wondered how Carrie felt at her prom? Or those cute but kinda weird little twin gals, all alone in that corridor, looking for a playmate? Or what it’s like to take a shower at the Bates Motel? Well, grandma plated all those feelings up in one neat little dessert. Bloody hell, how much more convincing do you need? Just get into the kitchen already: ”
for a 500 millilitre pudding mould, which serves two generously or three with a regular appetite — recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for larger moulds
pudding
50 g soft semolina (see notes)
400 ml milk (or any kind of milk alternative)
50 g sugar
flavourings (see notes)
sauce
200 ml pure black- or redcurrant juice (see notes)
50 g sugar
1-2 tsp powdered pectin
For the pudding, whisk together semolina, sugar, milk and flavourings in a saucepan and heat over medium heat, frequently stirring, until it begins to bubble. Now, stirring constantly, let the mixture boil for a minute or two, then take off the heat. Run your pudding mould under warm tap water and pour the pudding mixture into the wet mould (this will ensure easy unmoulding later). Let cool down slightly, then cover and move to the fridge until set — at least an hour for a small pudding.
When you’re ready to serve, stir together the sugar and pectin in a small saucepan, then add the cold juice. Heat until the mixture boils, then let it simmer for a few minutes to activate the pectin. Stand the pan in a sink with cold water to cool it down slightly. The juice should have some body, but not be thick.
To unmold, use your fingers to pull the pudding away from the sides, allowing air to get under the pudding. Place a plate on top of the mould, turn it over and give it a quick and strong vertical shake. The pudding should pop right onto the plate. Serve with the warm berry juice.
notes
Soft semolina is made from regular wheat, instead of the harder durum wheat variety. This makes it ideal for sweet desserts. If you can’t get your hands on it, durum semolina will work, but the texture will be slightly coarser. If you wish to keep this recipe gluten-free, there are a number of gluten-free types of semolina. We have good experiences with millet.
Any number of flavourings might work in this dessert. Vanilla is classic, of course. Lemon or orange zest add flavour and freshness, which goes well with the berry juice. Another good option is the tiniest drop of bitter almond extract (not essence), to underline the already vaguely almond-y flavour of the semolina.
Pure black- or redcurrant juice is readily available in some countries, but might be harder to get in others. Your best bet in any case is a well assorted biological supermarket or store. In the United States, it might be almost impossible to get, since currants were (or are) forbidden there, because for a long time the plant was thought to produce a fungus that could harm pine trees. Cranberry juice might be nice, too?
Text and recipe: Yannic Moeken
Photography: Junshen Wu
