Cold, tangy berries wrapped in a warm, creamy white chocolate hug, this Fresh Berries with White Chocolate Sauce recipe is a light fresh fruit dessert for summer that is company-worthy but also quick enough for a weeknight treat. It would be a great finish to a meal of Goan Shrimp Curry or Black Bean and Chorizo Stew or Za'atar Chicken with Lemon-Parsley Salad.
This berry dessert recipe comes with a couple of caveats. First, we try to stay away from sugar and animal fats on The Portion Queen and this recipe contains both. But the star players here are fresh summer berries, with all of their anti-oxidant and brain protecting benefits. Second, I don’t like white chocolate. Hell, I don’t even like milk chocolate. For health reasons and for taste, I alway reach for 70% cocoa or greater dark chocolate. In this case, though, high quality white chocolate with a bit of lemony limoncello liquor just plain works with the sweet, tart berries.
You will find plenty of recipes online from high-powered foodies Ina Garten and Giada De Laurentiis that are similar. Typically, they are made with frozen berries and the recipes tout the contrast between the icy cold berries and the warm chocolate sauce. About half of the people I serve that version to say that the frozen berries are literally mind-numbingly cold and its just too much. That's why my version is a FRESH berries with white chocolate sauce recipe. It's simply delicious, and high quality, often organic fresh berries are found year round in grocery stores.
Ingredients for Fresh Berries with White Chocolate Sauce
One of the things I love about Berries with White Chocolate Sauce is how few ingredients there are. That makes it really important that you use the highest quality ingredients.
White Chocolate: This is not the time to use that waxy old hollow white chocolate bunny that nobody wanted from last year's Easter basket. Use the highest quality white chocolate you can find. The chocolate should contain at least 30% cacoa. The very best varieties have as much as 45% cacao. High quality white chocolate should taste like lightly sweetened, delicious milk. If you buy it in disks, you can skip the step of chopping the chocolate into small pieces. I find that this Cordillera Latin American White Chocolate works very well in this recipe.
Limoncello: Limoncello is a classic Southern Italian lemon liquor. I have fond memories of drinking it after dinner in restaurants in Amalfi Coast towns like Positano. Many Italians make and bottle their own Limoncello with the abundant harvest of the amazing lemons of the region. Closer to home in the US, Limoncello is widely available at liquor stores. Our dear friends David and Jannet made some a couple of Christmas' ago to use as gifts and I regularly tap into our stash to make this Fresh Berries with White Chocolate Sauce recipe. (Jannet, by the way, runs amazing culinary tours to her native Peru, through her company Kollka Peru.)
- berries
- white chocolate
- heavy cream
- Limoncello (or rum or vanilla extract)
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making Berries with White Chocolate Sauce couldn't be easier.
Rinse and drain your berries and keep them in the refrigerator until ready to serve. I like a combination of fresh blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. If you want to use strawberries, either by themselves or combined with other berries, slice them or cut them in quarters.
Prepare a double boiler. This can be a small saucepan on top of a large saucepan, or a bowl sitting on top of a saucepan. It doesn't have to be fancy. Put an inch or so of water in the larger saucepan. You don't want the water touching the smaller pan or bowl.
Bring the water to a simmer and then add the white chocolate pieces, heavy cream and Limoncello. Stir until the white chocolate melts and the sauce is warm and smooth.
Add your berries to individual shallow serving bowls and pour the white chocolate sauce on top. Serve immediately.
Equipment
Although you can use a bowl as your double boiler, I love this Stainless Steel Double Boiler Pot. It is a perfect size for this recipe and has double pourer spouts as well as front hooks to keep it in place on top of your larger saucepan.
Recipe
Fresh Summer Berries with White Chocolate Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 oz berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or a mixture)
- 4 oz high quality (>30% cacao) white chocolate discs, chips or chopped bars
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoon Limoncello (or rum or vanilla extract)
Instructions
- Rinse and drain your berries and keep them in the refrigerator until ready to serve. I like a combination of fresh blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. If you want to use strawberries, either by themselves or combined with other berries, slice them or cut them in quarters.
- Prepare a double boiler. This can be a small saucepan on top of a large saucepan, or a bowl sitting on top of a saucepan. It doesn't have to be fancy. Put an inch or so of water in the larger saucepan. You don't want the water touching the smaller pan or bowl.
- Bring the water to a simmer and then add the white chocolate pieces, heavy cream and Limoncello. Stir until the white chocolate melts and the sauce is warm and smooth.
- Add your berries to individual shallow serving bowls and pour the white chocolate sauce on top. Serve immediately.
Video
For a more substantial fruit dessert, try this delicious Sour Cherry Crumble (Gluten Free) recipe.
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