Gruber's Cherry Ragout with Tonka Bean. A fruit ragout made from sweet cherries – loose, fruity, with a warm vanilla aroma.
Gruber's Cherry Ragout with Tonka Bean is a handmade fruit ragout from Reigersberg near Ilz in Eastern Styria. The label lists three ingredients: sweet cherries, sugar, and tonka bean. 210 g in a jar, perfect for spooning, spreading, and warming. No gelling agents, no artificial colors, no preservatives.
Cherry Ragout with Tonka Bean by Gruber's is the jar for the moment after a meal. A fruit ragout falls somewhere between a compote and a jam: the fruit is cooked down with sugar, but no gelling agent binds the mixture into a firm layer. The result is loose and juicy, more of a side dish than a bread spread. For this fruit delight, sweet cherries are cooked with an ingredient rarely seen in Styrian cuisine: the tonka bean. Its scent is reminiscent of vanilla, almond, and fresh hay. Together with the cherry, it creates a flavor that brings to mind cherry cake and Black Forest gateau, only lighter. For years, this ragout has been one of the most popular jars from Fruchtzauberei, especially among those who love to make Kaiserschmarrn.
Sweet cherry, warm tonka, juicy on the spoon
The ragout tastes first and foremost of sweet cherry: round, mild, and fruity, with low acidity. Sweet cherries are softer in flavor than sour cherries, providing fruitiness rather than tartness. Behind that comes the tonka bean. It adds a warm, slightly vanilla-like tone over the cherries, along with a subtle note reminiscent of marzipan and bitter almond.
The tonka bean remains in the background. It is much like a pinch of cinnamon in apple strudel: you notice it because the flavor becomes rounder and longer. Those trying tonka for the first time often think of vanilla at first, only noticing something else on the second spoonful.
Because the ragout is cooked down using only sugar, it flows off the spoon. It has more juice than a jam and sits on the plate like a thick sauce with fruit. It still works on bread if you treat it like a spread and distribute it thinly. If you are looking for a firm, sliceable jam for your breakfast roll, it is better to reach for the cherry jam from the same producer.
Kaiserschmarrn, ice cream, yogurt: this ragout belongs with dessert
The classic place for a fruit ragout is alongside Kaiserschmarrn. In Austria, this is usually accompanied by a plum roaster, but the cherry and tonka version creates a variation for guests. Simply warm the ragout briefly in a small pot and serve it in a bowl on the side. Everyone can take as much as they like.
It is just as suitable for palatschinken, pancakes, and waffles. Served over vanilla ice cream, it makes for warm cherries with ice cream—a combination that even children enjoy. Distributed over semolina pudding, rice pudding, or curd cheese dumplings, it adds color and fruit to the plate.
Served cold, the ragout tastes great in plain yogurt or Skyr, with a bit of granola on top. For a dessert in a glass, layer mascarpone cream, crumbled ladyfingers, and the cherry ragout. After an hour in the fridge, three ingredients have become a dessert that looks like a lot of hard work.
Cherry with tonka is also worth considering with cheese. Paired with a mild fresh goat cheese or Brie, the ragout acts like a sweet chutney. And during the Christmas season, it goes well with gingerbread, vanilla crescents, and a slice of stollen.
It also works as a cake topping. Add the ragout to a cheesecake or a curd cake only after baking. The juice will then stay on the surface and only run down the edges slightly.
Our tip: Place the jar briefly in hot water instead of heating the ragout in a pot. This makes it lukewarm, the tonka bean aroma becomes stronger, and the cherries remain exactly as they were in the jar.
A fruit ragout from the Fruchtzauberei
The ragout is made at Fruchtzauberei in Reigersberg near Ilz, a small family business in Eastern Styria. The farm's history dates back to 1860; fruit growing, especially apples, was added in the early 1990s. As a master fruit grower, René Gruber oversees cultivation, while Beatrix uses her skills as a cook to put fruits and vegetables into jars.
Fruit ragouts are a staple in the Fruchtzauberei range, alongside jams, chutneys, syrups, sauces, and pesto. The cherry ragout shows how their recipes are created: through collective tasting and experimentation until the flavor is just right. That is how Beatrix and René describe it themselves. That a tropical bean finds its way into a cherry jar is the result of this curiosity. The tonka bean is the seed of a South American tree and is usually finely grated in the kitchen, similar to nutmeg.
Everything is made by hand. Aside from the sweet cherries, only sugar and tonka bean go into the jar. Their guiding principle is "quality over quantity." The ragout is available at the farm, in select shops, and at Leni & Hans.
For Kaiserschmarrn chefs and dessert lovers
This ragout is for everyone who enjoys cooking something sweet on the weekend and wants to have a side dish in their pantry. It suits families who have Kaiserschmarrn and palatschinken on their menu, and anyone who rarely eats plain vanilla ice cream. As a gift, it is a lovely surprise for people trying tonka bean for the first time. Combined with a pack of ice cream wafers, a vanilla pod, or a small bag of powdered sugar for the Kaiserschmarrn, it makes a perfect little Sunday package.
For bread and rolls, the Cherry Jam is the spreadable sister product. If you like cherry with apricot, try the Apricot-Cherry Duet. You can see the entire assortment from Reigersberg on the Gruber's Fruchtzauberei page.
The ragout is not suitable as a filling for cookies or cake layers, as it is too juicy. For Linzer cookies and Swiss rolls, it is better to use a jam.
A fruit ragout made from sweet cherries and tonka bean – for Sunday Kaiserschmarrn, vanilla ice cream, and dessert in a glass.
