Recipe: Rhubarb Pudding (Raparperikiisseli)

the appetizer:

Due to the harsh climate, traditional Finnish cuisine included many grains and berries. Today contemporary Finns enjoy a wide variety of modern foods typical of Western Europe. Hunting and fishing are popular in Finland, with fish, moose and deer plentiful, but restaurants also serve reindeer.

Finland

Rhubarb Pudding (Raparperikiisseli)

Preparation time: about 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

6 cups (1-1/2 l) rhubarb
1 cup (2 dl) sugar
4 cups (1 l) water
4 Tbsp potato starch

Topping:
1/2 cup (2 dl) whipping cream
1 Tbsp sugar

1. Rinse the rhubarb and cut up into short sections. There is no need to peel the stalks.

2. Put the sugar and rhubarb in layers into enamel or steel saucepan. Add a small amount of water. Simmer the rhubarb over a very low heat, or bake in a slow oven at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for half an hour.

3. Add the water and bring to the boil.

4. Mix the potato starch in a small amount of water, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the well mixed potato starch thickener. Put the pan back on the heat and bring to the boil without stirring.

5. Pour the stewed rhubarb into a serving dish and sprinkle with a little sugar to prevent a skin from forming, or cover with plastic wrap. For special occasions, top with whipped cream.

Note: Keep the pudding at room temperature; its color and consistency may change if kept in a refrigerator.