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Summer and autumn are some of my favourite times, mostly because we are inundated with berries and wild harvest. Recently we've been doing a lot of berry picking (along with the rest of Norway) and I always want to the make the most of any bounty we are lucky enough to collect. Redcurrants are not always my favourite fruit when eaten raw because they can be rather tart but in this dessert they add a delicious tartness and fruitiness to what could otherwise be a bit too much.
Tilslørte bondepiker is a classic Scandinavian dessert with the main ingredient as apples. It's beautiful in it's simplicity, just layers of sweet, crispy breadcrumbs, fruit and whipped cream. There's always a debate in our household as to whether it originated in Denmark or Norway (I like to tease my husband by referring to it as danske tilslærte bondepiker, Danish veiled peasant girl, much to his annoyance).
So on with the recipe. If you can't get hold of redcurrants or they are really not your thing, you can happily substitute any other berry. If you'd like the original and classic recipe with apples you can find that here.
Tilslørte Bærpiker (serves 4 people)
Ingredients
100g / 3.5 oz fresh white breadcrumbs. Don't worry if your bread is a bit stale, that works fine. But the pre-packaged breadcrumbs are a little too dry for this recipe.
50g / 2 oz soft brown sugar
250g / 8.5 oz redcurrants (or any other berry of your choice)
2 tablespoons redcurrant jelly or jam. Again you can simply use whatever you have in the fridge and it's a treat way to use some last little bits of jam
400ml / 13.5 oz double or heavy cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar or powdered sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 180C / 355F
In a shallow heatproof dish mix together the breadcrumbs and sugar. I like to do this with my hands because you can be sure the sugar is really well combined with the breadcrumsb. Place in the oven and bake until a golden brown. This will take about 20 minutes, but you must keep a close eye on it because it can burn. Give it several turns and stirs throughout. Once it's a nice rich golden colour leave to cool.
Mix the berries with the jam. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form and gently fold in the icing sugar.
To assemble the dessert, I find a glass dish or glass bowls are the nicest because you can see the pretty layers. Start with a spoonful of breadcrumbs, followed by a spoonful of the fruit and finally a spoonful of cream. Repeat the process and decorate with a light sprinkling of the crumbs and a berry or two. It's delicious served immediately, but firms up rather nicely if placed in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Vær så god!
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