Strawberry and Raspberry Coulis

Since we seem to be focusing on what our gardens are producing at the moment, here is a recipe that will use up some of my summer berries. We grow everbearing, or day neutral, strawberries and raspberries and both are bearing now. This is a sweet coulis which can be drizzled on yogurt, ice cream, cakes, waffles, fruits, cheesecake, pies, and other desserts. The liquid in this sauce comes only from the fruits themselves (and a little lemon juice) which keeps the sauce fully flavored and quite thick.

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Strawberry and Raspberry Coulis

Adapted from cooksillustrated.com

12 ounces berries, fresh or frozen (and thawed), any combination as long as it equals this amount. In this case: 6 ounces raspberries and 6 ounces strawberries, but blueberries and blackberries are good, too

5-7 T sugar
1/4 c water
1/8 teas salt
2 teas fresh lemon juice

Place all ingredients but lemon juice into a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a slight simmer, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved and berries are heated through.

Cool for 5 minutes and place in a blender or food processor. Blend until pureed. Add lemon juice and pulse once more to incorporate juice into the sauce. Taste and add a bit of sugar, if needed.

Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl stirring and pressing on pulp to extract as much liquid as possible. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Stir just before serving. The puree may thicken while cooling; if it becomes too thick add one or two teaspoons water.

The coulis may be refrigerated for 4-5 days and frozen for 4 months. It is a lovely thing to find some coulis in your freezer in the dark months of winter.