Fluffy Vanilla Custard Floating In Cranberry Kisel

Category: Desserts & Sweets | Blog URL: http://www.russianseason.net/index.php/2009/11/fluffy-vanilla-custard-with-cranberry-kisel/

This recipe was entered in The Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook contest, a compilation of the world’s best food blogs which was published in Fall 2010.

Photo: Alina Petropavlovska

Ingredients

For Custard:

1/2 liter whole milk

2 eggs, cooled and yolks/whites separated

1/2 cup wheat flour

1/2 cup white sugar

2/3 teaspoon vanilla sugar

For Kisel:

5 1/2 cups wild cranberries

5 1/2 cups sugar

100 grams potato starch

1 liter filtered water + 100 ml cold water

Preparation

Making the kisel

Wash and crush the cranberries.

Place crushed berries into a saucepan and add sugar.

Add 1.8 l boiling water to the saucepan.

Heat until bubbles appear, then bring heat to medium low and keep the mix boiling gently for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, dissolve the starch in 100ml cold water.

When cranberry mix is ready, pass it through a sieve to get rid of berry skins and return the hot juice into the saucepan. Keep it on medium-low heat and slowly pour in the starch mix. This is the crucial moment: you’ve got to keep stirring kisel vigorously as you add more starch, in order to avoid lumps.

After you've added starch, bring kisel to boil.

Let cool.

Making the custard

In a bowl, combine flour and 250ml milk.

Beat the mix using a fork until it’s thin and runny like a crepe batter.

Beat egg yolks with ¼ cup sugar and 2/3 tsp vanilla sugar until pale. Set aside.

In a saucepan, bring to boil the remaining milk.

As the milk starts to boil, add in the milk&flour mix while stirring.

Add in egg yolks&sugar. Keep stirring vigorously to break up large lumps.

Simmer the custard for a couple of minutes, stirring all of the time, until it thickens. Set aside.

Add remaining sugar to cooled egg whites and whip them until thick and stiff.

Use a blender to break up small lumps in the custard, if any.

When the custard is smooth and creamy, add in the whipped egg whites and stir together gently.

Leave to cool.

Fill small bowls with kisel, then gently add scoops of custard.

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About

Whipped vanilla custard is yet another healthy dessert. It doesn’t contain a lot of fat, and whipped egg whites make it even more airy and light.
I would relate this type of custard to Russian cuisine. In Soviet times however, whipped custard was a popular dessert also here in Latvia. In the Latvian language, it’s called Buberts.
This fluffy custard is served floating in Kisel - one of the oldest Russian dishes ever. There’s a legend about an ancient Russian city besieged by nomadic tribes and suffering from famine until an old sage told the citizens to collect all remaining oats and all honey they could still find in their cellars. The citizens did as the wise man told them and brewed kisel from the oats, and sweet drink from the honey. They made two new water wells and filled them with kisel and honey drink, then invited a delegation of nomads, showed them the wells full of drink and kisel, and assured the guests that they had enough food to survive. The nomads were astonished at the fact that Russians obtained food directly from their land and told their king about the miracle. The situation seemed pretty hopeless. The siege was raised, and the nomads went away in search of a different city to conquer.
There’s also the expression “Milk rivers and kisel shores” in the Russian language, which is used to describe carefree and prosperous life.

*Since raw eggs are used in this recipe, please wash them properly before cooking!