Here's a good base recipe for using frozen berries to prepare a flavorful sauce. I find that frozen berries need to cook a little to make them less watery and to concentrate their flavor. Look for raspberries that come frozen in a bag. Feel the bag to make sure all of the individual berries are loose and not clumped together. Bags of frozen berries tend to taste better than those frozen in a block.

　　

Ingredients

12 ounces individually quick-frozen raspberries, thawed

　　3 tablespoons sugar

　　1 teaspoon strained lemon juice

　　1 teaspoon Kirsch or Framboise (raspberry eau-de-vie)

　　

Step 1

1 Combine the berries and sugar in a medium saucepan over low heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

　　

Step 2

2 Cook the berries and sugar for about 5 minutes, allowing them to boil very gently, or until they are slightly thickened.

　　

Step 3

3 Cool the mixture and puree it in a blender. Strain the sauce into a bowl to remove the seeds.

　　

Step 4

4 Stir in the lemon juice and Kirsch.

　　

Serving

Step 5

Pass the sauce in a sauceboat or bowl.

　　

Storage

Step 6

Keep the sauce covered and refrigerated before and after use.

　　

Nutrition Per Serving

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　　#### Nutritional analysis provided by _Perfect Light Desserts_

　　##### Per serving: 38 calories

　　0 g total fat (0% of calories)

　　0 g saturated fat

　　0 g protein

　　9 g carbohydrates

　　1 g fiber

　　0 mg cholesterol

　　0 mg sodium

　　Variation

　　Substitute a 12-ounce bag of strawberries or blueberries for the raspberries. Don't use Kirsch or Framboise with blueberries, though a dash of white rum works nicely.

　　Reprinted with permission from Perfect Light Desserts: Fabulous Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and More Made with Real Butter, Sugar, Flour, and Eggs All Under 300 Calories Per Generous Serving by Nick Malgieri and David Joachim. Photographs by Tom Eckerle. Copyright © 2006 by Nick Malgieri and David Joachim. Published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.