A Romantic Dinner for Two: Part 2. The Sweet Finale

A special dinner would not be complete without dessert, of course.
The smoked salmon plate with goat cheese rounds and all that bread was very filling, so I wanted to keep dessert light.

I whipped up a quick blackberry sauce that I found ages ago in a book called 200 Great Four Ingredient Recipes. “Blackberries in Port” actually only calls for three ingredients:
Blackberries, Port, Powdered Sugar
And it really could not be more simple; however, the result is beautiful and tastes sophisticated.

In the book, they call for fresh berries. I just empty a bag of frozen blackberries into a saucepan and stir in some powdered sugar. It’s cheaper, for sure, but I also really do think that frozen works better than fresh in this case because the berries give off a lot of water as they defrost. (Also, feel free to use whatever type of berries you want. ) When everything is defrosted and saucy, pour on the liquor! The recipe calls for port, but I’ve used any number of different alternatives – Amaretto, Grand Marnier-- this time I used a splash of Frangelico. And that is it – you’re done!

The great thing about this sauce is that it super versatile. Leave it on the thicker side and it’s a compote to serve on pancakes, waffles, muffins or anything else you little heart desires. If you add more liquid and cook it for a longer period of time, stirring more frequently so it smoothes out, it can become almost a thick glaze. If you add more liquor and cook it down further, the flavors intensify and it turns into a gorgeous reduction. I’ve paired this version with my grandmother’s frozen lemon mousse recipe with amazing results.

On this occasion, I used it to top a sundae. I made a crumble out of some already broken bakery chocolate chip cookies and scooped some frozen yogurt on top. Then I just spooned on the beautiful blackberry sauce.

G devoured his bowl in the blink of an eye.