Rumtopf

Rumtopf: Savor the magical and mouth-watering dessert with friends and family!

Rumtopf is a traditional German and Danish dessert which word for word means rum pot. This zestful dessert is savored around Christmas and other special occasions for centuries and is a way to preserve the bright and fresh fruits of the season.

Rumtopf is a mixture of various sorts of fruits, rum having a high strength which is often Stroh’s, and sugar. All these things are filled into a large rum pot or the stoneware pot, and this is mellowed for several months as far as the fruit becomes very soft and is entirely imbued with rum. There are various types of berries, cherries, plums that taste best with 50-55 percent alcohol by volume (100-110 proof). The original recipe included the pot that is set up in a cool and dark place where varieties of ripe fruit are filled in over the months. And after several months, when Rumtopf has matured, it can be enjoyed with waffles, baked apples (Bratapfel) or tempting ice-creams.

The fruits like cherries, berries, plums, etc. are freshly ripened and picked in the late spring or early summers. The fruits like strawberries, cherries, apples, huckleberries, etc. are at their best during this season, and they are nurtured until Christmas arrives while putting the favorite fruits along the way with sugar and rum.

The delicacy:

If you refer the word around German people, you’ll get to hear different nostalgic stories with huge grins on their faces. There has to be one main character in their story that is considered as the Rumtopf maker in the family. They’ll recall their days picking up the best and freshly picked up fruits adding the delicious rum and sugar and storing in a cool, dark place or at the back of their refrigerators. They will burst out laughing while telling stories of the one restless family member who will try to sneak some of the delicacy and try it out before it is. This dessert is a traditional delicacy of Germany and Denmark. The magic of the recipe is in its patience and calmness the Rumtopf makers have and they constantly keep on checking and adding on the fresh, seasonal fruits.

Recipe for Rumtopf:

This recipe is for 5 liters of Rumtopf.

Ingredients required:

Fresh ripened fruits around ½ kg (1 pound).
Sugar- white, around 0.25 kg (1/2 pound)
The fine quality of dark rum which is unflavored and should coat the fruits by approximately 1 inch.

Traditionally the fruits that go in the recipe are followed by season, but a lot of fresh fruits are available in the market today all year round so you may initiate the process anytime. So, begin with your favorite fresh fruit and select the fruit that is ripe and flavorful. You need to check whether the fruits are not over ripened and also now raw by any means.

The classic fruits that are recommended for Rumtopf are:

Pineapple: Take the rind and core off and cut them into cubes or slices.
Plums: Deseeded and cut into halves
Raspberries: The berries should be unwashed as you may not want to lose its bright red color.
Gooseberries: The stems from the fruit should be removed.
Red currants: The stems from the fruit should be removed.
Strawberries: They should be unwashed to in order to keep its bright color, and the stems and leaves should be removed. The strawberries in the end will lose their brightness into the rum and will soften.
Pears: They should be peeled, cored and sliced
Nectarines: should be halved and pitted.
Apricots: should be halved and pitted.
Peaches: The pits should be removed and cut them into halves, quarters or slices.

Cherries: Cherries can be of different varieties available in the market, and they should be stemmed and pitted.

There are also other fruits you may add if they come under your favorites list but aren’t recommended though as:

Blackberries or Blueberries: (They might turn out bitter, and their color changes the look of other fruits.)
Citrus (It may turn out too acidic for the whole desert)
Watermelon (This can make the entire mixture watery)
Rhubarb: (it can make the rum sour)
Cantaloupe chunks (It can make the rum watery and will tend to lose flavor)

How to make this dessert:

Clean and dry the complete pot (Rumtopf).
Wash and dry the fruits that you chose (except the ones whose color you don’t want to lose).
Remove the stems, leaves, seeds, pits, if any and cut the fruits into halves/ slices/ chunks if required.
Take ½ kg (1 pound) of fruit and 0.25 kg (1/2 pound) of sugar and place it into the Rumtopf.
Pour in the rum so that the entire sugar coated fruits are enveloped properly and above the level of the fruit by one inch.
Put the plastic sheet on the opening part of the Rumtopf tightly (so that evaporation is avoided) and place the lid of the Rumtopf securely over the plastic sheet.
Store this mixture in a cool, dry place and avoid the direct heat and sunlight. You can even store this in the back of your refrigerator.

After this,

Check and stir the mixture gently (make sure you don’t disturb the texture of fruits) and add the additional layer of fruit every month and repeat the same process mentioned earlier.
If all the fruits you desire to put in the Rumtopf are available on the very day, you can mix them and fill up the pot on the same day with the layers of fruit rum.
Now, allow the mixture to sit for about four to six weeks and by the way, feel free to taste its deliciousness in between and savor the making process as well!
Check the mixture from time to time to make sure there’s no kind of extra fermentation. If bubbles appear having fermentation, add some rum that is 151 proof to hold back the fermentation.

Serving suggestions:

Serve the Rumtopf fruits along with its syrup either hot or cold over some ice-cream, cake, puddings, flan or tempting cheesecake.
You can also serve this dish topped with whipped cream or crème fraîche.
Serve the liquid part strained out from Rumtopf as liquor.
You can also have it with family after dinner cordial.
You can also roll the hot mixture on a thin pancake which can be topped with whipped/flavored cream or ice cream.
To make a best and delicious cocktail, you can add two tablespoons of the strained liquid and add it to the Champagne.

Recipe of Rumtopf is quite simple. You can add this recipe in your next party menu and get ready for compliments. The only one factor that is required here is patience. And after long time preparation, the delicious and tempting dessert will, in the end, will be worth enjoying with the family on a warm, cozy night in front of the fireplace. So start preparing this amazing delicacy and let the magic begin!