From grunts to galettes and turnovers to tartlettes, the good folks at Fine Cooking have put together a special feature called Summer Berry Desserts, with a dozen seasonal recipes to enjoy. They had people like me in mind when they wrote, “It’s a truism that berries at the height of their season are best served without much fuss.” I couldn’t agree more, and chose this one. It’s just sweet enough and the steeped vanilla bean seeds add a lush note.
Strawberries don’t stand a chance with me but I also left out the blackberries, even though I adore them. The ones at the market weren’t great and the hardware store didn’t have any (a story for another time…) so I doubled up on antioxidant-rich blueberries. Follow the link above to find your own favorites while local berries are abundant.
Mixed Berries with Vanilla Bean Syrup
1/2 vanilla bean
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 pint (2 cups) fresh raspberries
1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries
1 pint (2 cups) fresh blackberries
1/2 pint (1 cup) fresh strawberries
How to make:
Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise with a sharp paring knife and scrape out the seeds with the back of the knife; save the empty pod for a garnish, if you like. Put the seeds in a small saucepan, along with the sugar and water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
Reduce the heat to low and cook for 7 minutes to let the vanilla infuse. Strain through a fine sieve to remove any fibrous pieces of vanilla pod or clumps of seeds. Let cool and refrigerate until completely chilled.
Rinse the raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries and spread them in a single layer on a towel to dry. Hull the strawberries and cut them into quarters.
Just before serving, combine all the berries in a large serving bowl and pour on just enough of the vanilla syrup to lightly coat them, about 3 tablespoons. Toss gently.
from Fine Cooking #65, pp. 52-55
