This is a dessert that we included in our book ScandiKitchen – a traditional Finnish dessert or porridge – but can be eaten any time of the day. Deliciously sweet and fruity, it really brings out the best in the lingonberries. You can use fresh or frozen berries for this – and if you don’t have lingonberries, try with other berries. The secret to a good Vispipuuro is all in the whipping of the semolina once it has cooled down. This will turn the dessert from quite heavy into fluffy and pale in colour.
In a saucepan, add the lingonberries, water and sugar and bring to the boil.
Simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the berries are cooked through, then pour through a sieve, preserving the juice. Press through most of the berries to the juice, but discard the skins.
Pour the liquid back into the pan and add the semolina and vanilla, bring back to the boil and simmer for 5-6 minutes until cooked through and thickened.
Take the porridge off the boil and leave to cool down. Once just warm, whip the Vispipuuro for about 10 minutes on full speed in a handmixer. After a few minutes, it will change colour from dark purple to pink - and the texture becomes light and almost mousse like. Set side in fridge to chill.
Serve cold in a bowl with milk, sprinkled sugar and fresh berries on top.
Also works well for a breakfast treat: Make it healthier by less sugar and more berries.
Serving suggestion
Other berries that can easily be used are gooseberries, cranberries, apricots, strawberries, blackberries, blackcurrants and more.