Receta Secret Recipe Club: Debesmanna (Latvian Cranberry Mousse)
It’s hard to believe it’s already been a month, but yes, it’s Secret Recipe Club time again!
My assignment for December is Culinary Adventures with Cam, a blog by Camilla, a scuba-diving, jewelry-making, photo-taking mama from the Monterey Bay area.
I’ve been reading Cam’s blog for a while, after first discovering it through past SRC reveals. I admire her knack for finding interesting flavour combinations ( this delicious-looking Salted Fennel Pollen Shortbread), her seriously ambitious dinner party menus (I mean, look at this masterpiece of a Thanksgivukkah menu!), and her willingness to try new cuisines, no matter how obscure or unfamiliar they might be (I mean, did you even know there’s a place called Kiribati, let alone what they eat there? Because I sure didn’t.)
I hadn’t gotten around to cooking any of her recipes yet, though, so this was as good a time as any.
Cam has literally thousands of recipes to choose from in her archives, but the one that really caught my eye was the Latvian Debesamanna, a very simple cranberry mousse made from just three ingredients – cranberry juice, sugar and cream of wheat cereal. The trick is to whip the cooked mixture for several minutes as it cools, transforming the dark magenta sludge into an airy cotton-candy-pink cloud.
Cam used rice cereal for her version, but I decided to stick with the traditional cream of wheat, since I was pretty sure that the magical transformation in this dessert owes everything to wheat gluten – the elastic strands catch and hold the air as it’s being whipped in, much like the proteins in egg whites or the fat in whipping cream.
And, as you can see, my suspicions were right… it really does come out that brilliant shade of princess pink! (Honest, the colour in these photos is entirely un-retouched.)
It’s a surprisingly delicious dish, and totally unlike any dessert I’ve ever had before. Despite the airy texture that is nothing at all like the stodgy cream of wheat we all know and (kinda sorta) love, it still feels substantial and filling. It’s sweet and tart all at once, and the optional splash of milk adds a cool creaminess that helps to temper that tangy cranberry flavour.
I suppose a dollop of whipped cream on top might also be rather nice, if you wanted to dress things up, but I felt like keeping it simple, particularly since followed Cam’s advice and gobbled it down for breakfast.
I mean, when you think about it, as pretty and fluffy and pink as this dish might be, it’s still just cereal with fruit juice and a splash of milk. Right? :)
Debesmanna (Latvian Cranberry Mousse)
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 5 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Serves: 6
This traditional Latvian dessert is so airy and light, you’d never guess the key ingredient is stodgy cream of wheat cereal.
Ingredients
- 3 cups unsweetened cranberry juice
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup cream of wheat
- Milk, for serving
Instructions
In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, stir together juice and sugar, and bring to a boil.
Gradually sprinkle in the cream of wheat, whisking briskly to make sure the mixture doesn’t get lumpy. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Scrape the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, and beat on medium-high speed until the pudding is thick and doubled in volume, about 12 minutes.
Immediately spoon into serving bowls. Before serving, top each bowl off with a splash of milk, if desired, or simply serve plain.
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About the author
Isabelle Boucher
I'm a 30-something coffee-chugging, booty-shaking, bargain-shopping, cookbook-collecting, photo-snapping, trucker-swearing, farmers-market-loving self-taught cook with a Mister and two cats to feed.
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