Gotta love this common Finnish dessert - Kiisseli

Kiisseli is a very common Finnish dessert that can be made with berries, either with one type of berry, mixed of several kinds or even with rhubarb. It's an excellent, easy-to-do, and versatile dessert that can be made all year round with various healthy berries such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, redcurrant, whitecurrant, blackcurrant, lingonberries, cranberries, and cloudberries.

In Finland, kiisseli is usually eaten with porridge/puuro. Still, it's also good as a dessert/välipala, or you could eat it as a light meal too, with nut-muesli or other cereal breakfasts. It's common in schools and daycares.

Ingredients:

3 cups water (about 500ml)

2 cups (about 400g) mixed berries (fresh or frozen)

3 tablespoons potato flour/starch (or corn flour)

3 tablespoons sugar

Instructions:

1. Transfer the berries, water, and sugar to a pot, then bring to a boil.

2. Mix potato flour and 2-3 tablespoons cold water well in a small bowl with a fork until smooth with no lumps, and while stirring, add it into the berry mixture.

3. Let the soup come to a bubble but not boil entirely, then take it away from the heat immediately. The consistency should be like a thick soup but not watery or loose.

4. Let it cool, and transfer it to a serving dish. The leftover could be placed in a glass jar and transferred to the fridge for several days.

Tips:

*For kiisseli, you could use one type of berry or buy a mixture of fresh berries; raspberry, strawberries, and blueberries are usually kids' favorites. In the freezer section of supermarkets, you can find ready mix-berry packages or separately to buy and then mix.

*For a healthier sugar-free option, you can add sweet, dry fruits ie dates, cut them into small pieces, and then add them into the pot. Stir well so that the kiisseli gets uniformly sweet.

*If you have kids, you could also add some fresh strawberries and cinnamon, a classic favorite spice. To make it more nutritious, add the favorite nut/seeds/muesli of your kids to the bowl and create a colorful dish to make it more appealing.