Grießpudding {Semolina Pudding}

Would you believe me if I told you that this was the first semolina pudding I ever made? Semolina pudding and rice pudding are common dessert or lunch foods in Germany. At home we never ate this, I don’t even know why. I just remember that I once had a cold and my parents offered me warm milk with honey. It didn’t go so well and from that moment on hot milk and everything made with it was off the list of foods and drinks I would consume. I never drank hot chocolate and I never ate semolina or rice pudding. I couldn’t even stand the smell of hot milk. Today I am still not a fan of vegan hot chocolate, but things made with hot plant milk do not scare and nauseate me. And when I made this pudding for the vegan month of food, I actually really liked it. I adapted this from a recipe that makes a larger quantity. Mine only makes three small puddings. It won’t fill you up for breakfast but you can serve this as dessert. The Grütze makes a much larger quantity. It will keep in the fridge for a couple of days. You can serve it with waffles or pancakes or just eat it with some vanilla sauce.
The pudding is rather sweet so I combined it with some really tart Stachelbeergrütze (gooseberry compote). Both go well together but feel free to double the amount of sugar in the compote, if it is too sour for your taste. For the pudding I used whole spelt semolina but regular semolina should work just fine. I poured them into (narrow and tall) muffin tins, but ramekins work, too.

Grießpudding adapted from this recipe

For the pudding:
240 ml (1 cup) soy milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon refined coconut oil
40 g (1/4 cup) semolina
2 tablespoons ground hazelnuts
2 tablespoons almond cream
1 tablespoon tapioca starch or cornstarch

For the Stachelbeergrütze:
600 g gooseberries ((21.2 oz or 1 1/3 pound), topped and tailed
50 g (1/4 cup) sugar, or more to taste
3 tablespoons tapioca starch or cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water

To make the pudding:
Grease three cups of a muffin pan with oil. Set aside. Place milk, sugar, vanilla extract, salt and coconut oil in a saucepan.  Mix semolina and nuts and set aside. Combine almond cream and starch and mix until dissolved. Set aside. Bring the soy milk mixture to a boil. Use a whisk to stir, so it doesn’t burn. Add semolina and nuts once the mixture is boiling. Also add starch mixture and cook for 1 or two minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Spoon into prepared cups and let cool completely.

To make the compote:
Place berries and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for five minutes until the berries start to break down. Dissolve starch in water and add to the berry mixture and cook for three more minutes until thickened. Let cool.

To serve remove the pudding from the tins and serve with compote.