In spring, I like to make my own syrup in lieu of maple syrup, which I prefer in the fall and winter. The first berries of the season, which aren’t very sweet, are transformed by the golden caramel that melts into the firm fruit.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 3 cups

　　1/4 cup sugar

　　2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

　　1 1/2 cups hulled and quartered strawberries

　　1 cup blueberries

　　1 cup raspberries

　　

Step 1

Combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water in a large skillet. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil, undisturbed, for 2 minutes. Stir in the butter and boil until golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Add all of the berries to the skillet and cook, stirring gently to coat the fruit, until the caramel melts into the fruit and the berries begin to release their juices, about 3 minutes. Serve warm.

　　Reprinted with permission from Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten with Genevieve Ko. Copyright © 2011 by Jean-Georges Vongerichten; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most influential chefs in the world, having single-handedly redefined haute French cuisine, lightening and refining it by adding select Asian accents. He is the chef-owner of dozens of restaurants in fourteen cities around the world. His flagship restaurant, Jean Georges, at New York's Columbus Circle, is one of six restaurants in the United States to have been awarded three coveted Michelin stars; it received four stars from the New York Times. The winner of multiple James Beard Foundation awards, he lives in New York City and Waccabuc, New York, with his family.Genevieve Ko is a cookbook author and the senior food editor at Good Housekeeping magazine. She has written for Martha Stewart Living, Gourmet, and Fine Cooking and lives in New York City with her family.