Sweet simplicity – Dutch hangop

Of course – like it is good tradition on this blog – my report from our short trip to Amsterdam is only complete with a corresponding recipe. After our dinner at Moeders, where we ate ourself through a menu of traditional Dutch dishes, it was soon clear that I was tending towards the sweet side, but would it be waffles, poffertjes,…?

… I finally made my mind – and hangop. Probably the most easiest, but non the less delicious and refreshing old-fashioned Dutch dessert. It’s so easy that you barely could call this a recipe. It’s basically buttermilk or/and yoghurt that is hung up to drain, until it has lost enough liquid to reach a creamy texture. It is served slightly sweetened and chilled with some berries on top. That’s it.

I know, this might sound unspectacular. And in a way it is of course, but … well, the simple things – I could again philosophize about their worth, their elementariness. Somehow I am always coming back to those recipes that are just more than the sum of its parts…

If you still feel not challenged enough as a cook – try different periods of draining, add some whipped cream, mix buttermilk and yoghurt and experiment with different ratios,….

Dutch hangop (rather 2 but 3 portions, the glasses I used were quite small)

ingredients
500 g buttermilk, 3 tablespoon powdered sugar, vanilla seeds

100 g (frozen) raspberries, 1-2 tablepoons sugar

preparation
Line a medium bowl with a kitchen towel or cheese cloth. Carefully pour buttermilk into the towel, hang it up and put the bowl underneath. Drain for at least 6 hours. (The longer you drain, the firmer the consistency will be). Within 6 hours you will reach a still viscious texture.) Add raspberries and sugar to a small pot. Heat up until the berries are hot and the sugar has dissolved. Fill hangop in small glasses and cover with berries. Put in the fridge and serve chilled.