Now is the time to take advantage of all those fresh fruits and berries coming into the markets. If you are looking for a refreshing dessert, why not try this traditional north German dish. Rote Gruetze (the name means red groats) is a delicious, chilled fruit stew.

Ingredients

1 quart strawberries
1 quart rasperries or 2 bags frozen mixed berries, 12 oz. each
1 pint blueberries
1 pound sour cherries, pitted (or the equivalent amount canned cherries)
1 large bottle (48 fl. oz.) red fruit juice e.g. cranberry or cranberry/cherry
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
juice of half a lemon
dash of cinnamon
whole milk or half-and-half
Directions
Clean and prepare all fruit, removing stems. Place about two thirds of the fruit in a large saucepan, reserving one third for later.
Pour juice into pan.
Slowly bring contents of the pan to a boil over medium heat.
Meanwhile, measure cornstarch into a small bowl and add a little cold water to make a smooth liquid.
Remove the pan with the hot fruit mixture from the heat, add the cornstarch mixture to the fruit in a thin stream, stirring constantly.
Return pan to a low heat, again stirring constantly, and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about one minute.
Add the remaining third of fruit, lemon juice and cinnamon to taste. Stir well to mix, and allow to cool. The consistency should not be as firm as jello or as runny as custard, but just that perfect point between.
Transfer to a decorative bowl. Serve with a jug of cold milk or half-and-half for pouring on the gruetze. Rote Gruetze is meant to be quite tart, so please do not add any sugar; the milk makes it somewhat milder.