Rose Kissel ‒ Ruusukiisseli

Somehow I had associated this dessert with English kitchen - perhaps because of all those puddings and fruit soups. But when I recently tried to google a recipe I couldn't find much of anything in English. What I did find was a Wikipedia article explaining kiisseli (from a Slavic word meaning sour) is popular only in Eastern and Northern Europe. I can certainly verify that claim for Finland. They're among the basic groceries and young people even like to make drinks out of the thinner soup-like varieties.

Though I still find myself a bit unconvinced that a dessert this simple could not be known in the English-speaking world, I thought I'd write down one version. Bilberries, strawberries and black currants are perhaps among the most classical flavours but I decided to use rose this time. There are two layers to complement each other but you could make just either one. Kiisseli is often prepared from plain juice but I wanted to get some odds and bits to chew. I also tried throwing some potato pearls into the white layer but that only made the mouth-feel resemble a barley porridge so I left that out from the final recipe. The thickening agent is nearly always potato starch but you might use for example ground flax seeds instead.

The milk layer:
- 3 dl soy milk (or other fatty milk)
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons potato flour (+ 0.5 dl water)
- rose water
- almond extract (just a drop)

The rose layer:
- 4 tablespoons dried rose hip pieces
- 4 dl water
- 1 tablespoon blackcurrant juice (non-sweetened, non-watered)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons potato flour (+ 0.5 dl water)

Dissolve the sugar into milk on a hot stove and season with rose water and/or almond extract. Let the milk come into a boil. Dissolve the potato flour into a dollop of cold water and pour it gradually into the pot, whisking all the time (to avoid clumps). Let the mixture come into a boil again and remove it from the stove. Stir well and pour your serving cups half full.

Wash the pot and fill again with rose hips and water. Let them simmer for a while to soften the hips and get the flavours out. (Taste to decide.) Season with sugar and black currant juice. Now repeat the potato flour adding as before. Remove the pot from the stove, stir well and pour on the milk kiisseli.

Serve either hot or cold. If you refrigerate these the structure will evolve from gluey to jelly.

Nutritional values / 957 g:
energy 517 kcal
fat 6 g
protein 14 g
carbohydrates 101 g
fiber 4 g