Berner Heitisturm
Submitted by kerryb
A traditional Swiss dessert from Bern featuring fresh blueberries folded with buttery croutons, browned flour, cinnamon, and whipped cream, crowned with homemade sour cream ice cream. Rustic, elegant, and unforgettable.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
10 minREADY
30 minThis is one of those old-world Swiss desserts that sounds unusual and tastes absolutely extraordinary.
Berner Heitisturm comes from the canton of Bern and layers fresh blueberries with butter-fried bread croutons, browned flour, cinnamon, and billowy whipped cream.
The whole thing gets plated up and topped with a scoop of tangy homemade sour cream ice cream, a dusting of powdered sugar, and fresh mint.
The contrast of warm, nutty croutons against cool cream and bright berries is the kind of thing that makes you wonder why this dish isn’t famous everywhere.
Chef Tips
- Fry the bread cubes until they’re deeply golden and crunchy. They’ll soften slightly when folded into the cream, so you want them to start with serious crunch.
- Brown the flour slowly and watch it carefully. It should smell toasty and nutty, not burnt.
- Make the sour cream ice cream a day ahead so it’s properly frozen and scoops cleanly.
- Use wild blueberries if you can get them. They’re smaller, more intense, and closer to what you’d find in the Swiss Alps.
Ingredients
Directions
Ice Cream: Bring water and sugar to a boil.
Let cool.
Stir in sour cream.
Freeze.
Blueberries: Remove the rind from the bread and cut the slices into small cubes.
Heat half of the butter and fry the bread cubes until crisp; set the croutons aside.
In the same pan heat the remaining butter until a light brown, stir in the flour and brown; let cool.
Wash the blueberries.
Combine croutons, sugar, cinnamon, heavy cream and browned flour, add the blueberries.
Whip the cream until stiff and carefully fold into the mixture.
Serving: Place the blueberry mixture on plates.
Scoop ice-cream with two hot tablespoons and place in center of the blueberry mixture.
Sprinkle with blueberries, garnish with mint leaves and dust with confectioner’s sugar.
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