Cherry Roaster

Cherry Röster with Styrian heart cherries and ginger

The Cherry Röster from Fink's Delikatessen is a Styrian cherry compote made from sweet cherries and sour cherries (Weichsel), delicately spiced with ginger. Whole pieces of fruit, carefully simmered, not a smooth mash.

Cherry Röster is a simmered cherry compote produced by Bettina Fink-Haberl in Walkersdorf near Ilz. 52 percent Styrian sweet cherries meet 17 percent sour cherries, along with ginger, lemon, and a little sugar. In Austria, a compote with whole fruits is called "Röster" – and that is exactly what it is: fruit you can still see and taste. The Weichsel, a type of sour cherry, provides the freshness often missing from pure sweet cherry compotes.

Sweet cherry, sour cherry, and a hint of ginger

The aroma is dark and fruity, with a fresh, slightly pungent note of ginger.

The sweet heart cherry leads, followed by the Weichsel with its fine acidity, and the ginger provides a warming accent at the end. The fruits remain whole, and the syrup is not overly sweet. The ginger makes all the difference without overpowering the fruit. Fruity, fresh, and spicy.

This makes the Röster more well-rounded than a simple cherry jam – the Weichsel gives it tension, and the ginger adds spice. This exact balance makes it a favorite for desserts. If you love cherries but dislike mushy textures, this is for you.

With Kaiserschmarrn, poppy seed noodles, and vanilla ice cream

Cherry Röster is an Austrian classic for sweet flour-based dishes.

Served warm, it is perfect over Kaiserschmarrn and curd dumplings, with poppy seed noodles, on waffles, or alongside mousse au chocolat. It also works wonderfully over vanilla ice cream or vanilla pudding—just a spoonful is enough. Bettina’s tip: It even refines savory sauces for game and gives duck that certain something. It’s a way to bring a piece of Austrian dessert culture to your plate.

If you like other varieties, there is also the Plum Röster and the Apricot Röster. You can find all three in the Jams & Compotes collection from Fink's Delikatessen.

From the Michelin-starred kitchen to your own jar

Behind this Röster is a trained chef with a fine instinct for fruit.

Bettina Fink-Haberl, born in 1978, trained at the Hofkeller in Fürstenfeld and cooked for Michelin-starred chef Johanna Maier in Filzmoos. In 2002, she co-founded the Fink's Delikatessen manufactory with Alois Gölles and became independent in 2008. The heart cherries come from neighboring farmers and are pitted by hand before going into the kettle with the sour cherries and ginger. Today, she manages both the manufactory and the Haberl restaurant together with her husband, Hans Peter.

Three things define the jar: ripe fruit, manual labor, and a dash of a chef’s courage when it comes to seasoning. You can taste that someone is cooking here, not just filling jars. You can find more of this in the full assortment of Fink's Delikatessen.

A jar that belongs in every pantry

You will prefer to serve the Cherry Röster slightly warmed.

Warmed briefly, it smells most wonderful over Kaiserschmarrn or ice cream. Once opened, the jar belongs in the refrigerator, where it keeps well. A jar of Cherry Röster rarely stays unused for long in a well-stocked pantry. Whether sweet with a dessert or savory with a game sauce – the Röster can do both. In winter it warms the Kaiserschmarrn, in summer it cools the ice cream; a jar for the whole year. Warm, fruity, versatile.