A Pretty Good Dessert

When I made my “drunken berries with lemon-lavender cream” last week I thought I was making something that would be great on the 4^th of July.  I had blueberries, strawberries and whipped cream…red, white and blue…great, right?  Then, it hit me: “Who wants a frou-frou dessert on Independence Day?”  People want ice cream, flag cake, perhaps a firecracker popsicle, maybe even a Jell-O mold, not some semi-sweet dessert with a long name!  And so, this blog wasn’t posted for the 4^th, however, it was still a pretty good dessert.  So here we are, on July 11^th, and I present to you, “a pretty good dessert.”  Pair with a sweet dessert wine, like Ponte Isabel.

Note: I didn’t take measurements when I made this, so the recipe is approximate.

Drunken Berries with Lemon-Lavender Cream

• 1 cup strawberries, quartered
• ½ cup blueberries
• 2 Tbsp black currant liqueur, i.e. Crème de Cassis
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1-2 tsp dried lavender buds
• 1 strip lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
• Lavender buds and lemon zest, for garnish

Combine strawberries, blueberries, liqueur and about 1 tsp sugar in a bowl and stir to combine.  Set aside and let soak for about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, place heavy cream, lavender buds and lemon zest in a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until bubbles start to appear around the edges.  Remove from the heat and let sit for about 20 minutes.  Strain out lavender buds and lemon zest.  Place cream in an ice bath or in the refrigerator and let sit until cold.

When you’re ready to serve, beat cold cream on high until mixture starts to thicken.  Add powdered sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form.  (My whipping cream the night I made this was a dud and I had a very hard time getting it to thicken up. As you can see from the photo, the cream was a little runny, but it was still good.  Point is, whip your cream until it meets your desired consistency.)  Taste and add more sugar to your liking.

To serve, spoon berries into bowls or goblets and dollop some whipped cream on top.  Sprinkle with a few lavender buds and some lemon zest, if desired.

–What dessert did you eat on the 4^th of July?