Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Raspberries, Currants, and Chocolate, Oh My!

Please forgive my current obsession with all things berry.  'Tis the season, I suppose.  Yesterday we went for a long walk in Concord at Minute Man National Park, which runs along the old Battle Road.  This, along with the North Bridge, is where the opening battle of the American Revolution was fought.  While it's obviously a place of great historical importance, it is also a place of tremendous natural beauty and the perfect spot to see indigo buntings, cedar waxwings, and finches of all kinds.   

Most of the trail leads through woods, fields, and swamps, but a small portion runs along the battle road itself, and it was at that spot on the trail that we came across a small farm stand with the above sign out front.  If you read my post yesterday, you know I have a soft spot for hand painted signs.  And this one was even misspelled, which made me love it all the more (please don't tell my freshman composition students).  The gentleman who runs the stand was, of course, out of raspberries, and I already have loads anyway, but he did have luscious currants!
We bought a pint and ate a few along our hike, feeling a bit like kids as we spit out the occasional larger seeds and wandered through the tall grass, surrounded by butterflies.  When we came back home, I washed the remaining currants, plucked them from their stems, and tossed them into a pot with a pint or so of raspberries, a few tablespoons of sugar, the zest of one lime, and a slurry of a little cornstarch and water.  The whole lot cooked down to a gorgeous sauce.  You can see in the picture below that it's full of seeds.  I simply strained the sauce through a sieve, and it was ready to go.
On the way home from our walk, we had stopped at the Bedford farmers market, where we couldn't resist buying a jar of this amazing dark chocolate sauce from Sassy Sauces.  We sampled all the sauces, of course, just to make certain that this was the best possible one.

The result of our walking and buying and cooking was a dessert from heaven: vanilla ice cream with bittersweet chocolate sauce and raspberry-currant sauce.  I nearly wept--it was that good.  
Happily, we have lots of sauce left.  This morning I dipped my brioche in it.  It is so beautiful and so delicious (the lime zest sends it over the top) that I want to put it on almost everything.  Hope you're having a sweet Tuesday, my friends. xo

12 comments:

  1. Ooh! I was on a strict diet until I saw your pics! Then disaster struck!

    Lovely post - I'll be back again soon to read through previous ones!

    Hope you've had wonderful Tuesday,

    LOL LOLA:)

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  2. Ohhh! Mouth watering....
    You know, I'm not sure I've ever had currants. They're not popular around here, for some reason and the opportunity has not presented itself.

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  3. As I longingly read each word, I was just hoping you poured it over ice cream! My goodness you live summer right!

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  4. I'm so happy to have found a blog that sings of all things New Englandy!

    Your sauce, along with the chocolate sauce and ice cream look divine!

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  5. Oh Gigi, not fair! That all looks way too yummy, just love your shots as usual... talented girl!

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  6. Oh yeah! This is good! Berry season is here!
    xo

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  7. that really might have been the perfect day. that icecream with two sauces looks incredible!!! you are so creative.

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  8. Currants are just so beautiful, too, like little gems on a stem. This weekend's currants and berries will go into a jar with some serious liquor...

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  9. Know the feeling, Gigi...we can't get enough berries just now either... your post here is sooo delicious--just want to dip my spoon into that berry-covered ice cream...mmm...Happy Days, my friend :o) ((HUGS))

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  10. Hi Gigi!
    Just stopped by to say have left a little award for you on my site. Additionally, am also your newest follower!

    This was a terrific post - as always!

    Have a wonderful day & see you again soon!

    xxxLOL LOLA:)

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