This is…interesting, and I am not sure it came out exactly as intended, but it does have possibilities…maybe.
There are a few things going on here…This is a post inspired by a link-up that was created by @libismorgan from Am I a Funny Girl? [she is someone I follow on Twitter], the link-up is inspired by Pinterest [If you don’t know about Pinterest, you are probably better off because it is addictive], and the original recipe came from a fabulous blog I just came across recently [Scandi Foodie is a Finnish woman who lives in Sydney, blogs about food and take the most amazing photos]. The original pin for this recipe is here.
I love cranberries, and was so excited when I found them here a few years back. You can’t get fresh ones in Australia [at least not that I am aware of] but the frozen ones are generally really good. And since this no-sugar thing we’ve been doing, tart flavors are not so tart anymore. It’s amazing how that happens.
I made a couple changes to the original recipe [shocker]…adding a bit of orange juice to the liquid and leaving out the sugar out as a result, but mainly, I doubled the quantity of semolina. I tried it first with the prescribed 65g but ended up with a really runny pot-of-pink – and even after putting couple spoonfuls in the freezer to flash cool after simmering for 20 mins, it was still very thin, and decidedly un-whippable. So pulling from my childhood years of eating Cream of Wheat, and the mention in the recipe that ‘The porridge can be quite thick’ I figured that something was wrong – I added another 65g, simmered for another 15 mins and think I had the correct consistency at that stage.
So why do I say I am not sure it came out exactly as intended? Well it was…a bit gluey and not ‘soft and fluffy’. Maybe cooked too long? maybe too much extra semolina? maybe not beaten long enough? not sure. Love the tart flavour, and can see possibilities with apple juice and stewed apples, or even as a filling or spread for something, and it was surprisingly creamy for something with no cream in it. But as it is, or more appropriately as it came out, not too sure. It’s in the fridge currently, I am not certain what to do with it…
You know what though, it sure is pretty. Now to do something with the left over cranberry mash…
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Cran-Orange Whipped Porridge
Adapted from Scandi Foodie
Ingredients:
250 g frozen Cranberries [2 cups]
750 ml water [3 cups]
125 ml orange juice [1/2 cup] + extra water
130 g wheat semolina [2/3 cup]
Full Method in Under 100 words:
Simmer cranberries with the water for 20 minutes. Strain, pressing gently on the fruit [keep mash for another purpose], you should have about 500 ml [2 cups] of liquid. Add the oj and additional water for 750 ml liquid total.
Return liquid to pan, bring to a simmer, pour in semolina in a fine stream whisking constantly. Simmer 15-20 mins, whisking occasionally, until thick.
Remove from heat and cool to room temp. Whip with an electric beater until light and fluffy. Serve at room temp with a splash of milk if desired.
I’m glad you gave it a go! I’ve always cooked this with just a small amount of semolina (65g) and if you cook it long enough it should give a nice result. After whipping the porridge is really light and fluffy. Maybe the semolina you used was different?
ummm, YUM!!! …and such pretty dishes too!