Yagidnyi Kysil (ягідний кисіль, berry kysil)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •A big 3-litre saucepan or small modern stockpot
• •A wooden spoon
• •A fine sieve
• •A small bowl for the starch slurry
• •A glass pitcher or lidded jars for chilling

Instructions

1. 1

   Sort the berries

   Pick over fresh berries for stems and leaves. If the berries are frozen, don't thaw them unless they are frozen into one angry brick. Reserve a small handful of whole berries if you want fruit in the finished kysil; leave them aside for later.

   Blackcurrants and sour cherries give kysil its backbone. Strawberries alone can taste sleepy, so wake them with a little lemon if that is what you have.
2. 2

   Cook the fruit

   Put the berries, 1.8 litres water, sugar, salt, and lemon peel if using into a big pot. Bring it to a gentle simmer and crush the fruit against the side with a wooden spoon. Let it murmur until the berries collapse, the color deepens, and the smell changes from raw fruit to warm jam.

3. 3

   Strain and taste

   For a smooth drinking kysil, pour the berry base through a fine sieve and press the fruit hard to get every bit of color. For a kitchen-table version, strain half and leave half pulpy. Return the liquid to the pot and taste it while hot; it should be a little brighter and sweeter than you think, because starch softens the edges.

   This is the forgiving place. Add sugar if it pulls too sour, lemon if it tastes dull, or a splash of blackcurrant juice if you want it darker.
4. 4

   Mix the slurry

   Whisk the potato starch with 200ml cold water in a small bowl until it looks milk-white and smooth. Stir it again just before using, because starch settles at the bottom like wet chalk and pretends it has disappeared.

5. 5

   Thicken the kysil

   Bring the berry base back to a lively simmer, then lower the heat and stir with one hand while pouring the starch slurry in a thin stream with the other. The pot will go cloudy first, then suddenly glassy and purple. Keep stirring until the spoon comes out wearing a shiny coat and the surface gives a few slow, thick bubbles, then take it off the heat.

   Do not hard-boil it once it turns glossy. Potato starch thickens quickly and cleanly, but rough boiling loosens the body you just made.
6. 6

   Serve or chill

   Stir in the reserved whole berries if you kept some back. Ladle the kysil warm into bowls, or pour it into a pitcher and chill it for glasses later. If you don't like a skin on top, sprinkle the surface with a little sugar or press baking paper directly onto it. If you do like the skin, welcome to the family argument.

Chef Tips

• •Potato starch gives the proper glossy, almost clear set. Cornstarch works in a pinch, but it turns the kysil cloudier and a little softer. A bit more modern, not a crime.
• •For a thinner drink, use 35g potato starch. For a spoon dessert, use 70g. This middle version coats the spoon and still pours.
• •Frozen berries are not second best. In January, the freezer is the garden with its coat on.
• •Taste before the starch goes in. Once the kysil thickens, sweetness and sourness feel quieter on the tongue.
• •The berry mix forgives you. The starch step does not. Cold slurry, thin stream, steady stirring, then stop when it shines.

Advance Preparation

• •Kysil keeps well in the fridge for 3 days. Cover the surface if you want it smooth.
• •The berry base can be cooked and strained a day ahead; thicken it with starch when you want the freshest gloss.
• •Serve it warm for comfort, or chill it until softly set for a make-ahead drink-dessert.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 260g)