Fruit Coulis

• Servings: Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

A coulis is a sweet dessert sauce made with raw berries and sugar.  It's essential that it be made with in-season or good quality frozen fruit because the sauce can only be as flavorful as the fruit you use.  The sauce will also be the color of the fruit you use, making it a beautiful addition to a dessert.

This recipe suggests the amount of sugar to use in a range because you should begin with the lower amount and then taste before adding more, because berries will vary in their sweetness.

Try to make this within a few hours before you serve it as its flavor is best when first made.  But should you need to make coulis in advance, store it refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two days.

Superfine sugar will dissolve more quickly but if you don't have it, regular granulated sugar can also be used.

This coulis can be made with any fresh fruit -- strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, or other berries or a mix.  But it can also be made with good quality, unsweetened frozen fruit that has been completely defrosted and non-berry fruits like mangoes.

Use it to drizzle over pound cake, as a sauce for ice cream or sorbet, on pancakes, or to puddle around lemon mousse.

Ingredients

• 2 cups raw, fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in half, or other fresh berries left whole
• 2 to 4 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Pick through the berries and remove any leaves or debris. If the strawberries are particularly large cut them into quarters. Rinse the berries and shake off any excess water and place the berries in a food processor or blender.
2. Add the smaller amount of sugar, water, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
3. Process until completely liquefied. Taste and adjust for more sugar or lemon juice. Pulse to combine.
4. Pour the liquefied fruit into a fine sieve to remove any seeds.
5. Chill and serve.