Berry Sauce

A fantastically versatile recipe for a thick berry sauce that goes perfect with cheesecake, waffles, ice cream, and more.

Since fresh berries are hard to find around here, I usually rely on frozen berries to serve with cheesecakes. Since thawed berries don’t really look attractive, though, I like to use them to make a sauce. All it really takes to make a berry sauce is just cooking berries and sugar in a saucepan, although I like to add a few other ingredients to enhance the flavor.

A few notes: 

• Try to keep most of the berries whole while cooking (but if they do break, that’s ok).
• Frozen berries release plenty of juices while cooking, so don’t be tempted to add water in the beginning.
• If you’re using fresh berries rather than frozen, you’ll need to add a few tablespoons of water until you reach the desired consistency.
• The longer you cook the sauce, the thicker it will get. You can also add a bit more cornstarch for thickening, but don’t add too much or it will affect the taste.
• For a smooth sauce, you can puree the cooked sauce in a food processor. If you like, you can also push it through a fine sieve using the back of a spoon to discard the seeds.
• If you like, you can add a fruit-based liquor such as Grand Marnier or Chambord.
• You can use orange zest instead of lemon zest (but still use the lemon juice).
• Try using a pinch of warm spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg.