Image is for illustrative purposes only.
This is a bright, glossy raspberry sauce made from frozen berries, cooked with a sugar syrup and lightly thickened so it holds its shape on a plate instead of running away. A touch of citric acid keeps the flavour sharp and stops the sweetness from flattening out the fruit.
It is the sauce to keep in the fridge for plated desserts, for flooding the base of a dessert plate, for spooning over cheesecake, panna cotta or ice cream, and for brushing or piping as a bright red accent alongside chocolate and cream desserts. It is also useful inside cakes, as a thin layer of fruit flavour between sponge and cream.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
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Weight Per Unit: 1901
Number of Units: 1
Unit Size: batch of about 1.9 litres of sauce
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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1000 |
2.2 pounds
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Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
for the syrup
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B
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500 |
2.1 cups
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Water
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C
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250 |
8.8 ounces
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Frozen Raspberries
Frozen raspberries are whole ripe raspberries snap-frozen soon after picking. They break down easily when heated and give a strong colour and a sharp, fresh berry flavour, which makes them ideal for glazes, coulis and purées where fresh fruit would be costly or out of season.
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thawed with their juice |
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D
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100 |
3.5 ounces
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Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
for the starch mix
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E
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30 |
1.1 ounce
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Modified Starch
Modified starch is a corn or tapioca starch that has been treated so it thickens smoothly and stays stable when acid, sugar and freezing are involved. In a glaze it gives body and shine without becoming cloudy or watery; plain corn starch can be used instead, though the set will be a little softer.
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F
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20 |
0.7 ounce
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Citric Acid
Citric acid is the natural acid found in lemons and other citrus fruit, sold as fine white crystals or powder. A small pinch sharpens the flavour of sugar syrups and helps stop them crystallising during storage.
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G
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1 |
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Potassium Sorbate (preservative 202)
Potassium sorbate, listed on labels as preservative 202, is a food-grade powder used in very small amounts to stop mould and yeast growing in jams, pastes and fillings. It is optional at home if the paste is kept refrigerated and used within a few weeks.
optional
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H
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0.3 |
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Red Food Colouring
Red food colouring is a concentrated edible colour, sold as a paste, gel or powder, used in tiny amounts to lift or correct the colour of a preparation. Here it only deepens the natural red of the cooked berries, so it can be left out if you prefer.
optional
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1901
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
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Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Prepare |
Weigh everything out first. In a small bowl, mix D and E (caster sugar and modified starch) together dry so the starch is coated in sugar. |
No lumps of starch left in the sugar |
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2 |
Boil |
Put A and B (caster sugar and water) into a wide saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. |
Clear syrup, boiling steadily |
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3 |
Add |
Add C (frozen raspberries) with any juice and bring the pan back to a simmer. |
Berries collapsed and the syrup stained deep red |
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4 |
Thicken |
Sprinkle in the sugar and starch mix while whisking, and let the sauce simmer gently for a couple of minutes. |
Sauce thickened and glossy, no floury taste |
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5 |
Season |
Stir in F (citric acid), taste, and add H (red food colouring) only if the colour needs lifting. |
Sharp, fresh berry flavour; even bright red colour |
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6 |
Blend |
For a smooth sauce, blend with a stick blender and pass through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Leave it as it is if you like the sauce rustic. |
Smooth and pourable, no seeds if strained |
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7 |
Cool |
Take the pan off the heat and let the sauce cool to lukewarm, then stir in G (potassium sorbate) if you are using it. |
Preservative fully dissolved, no grains left |
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8 |
Store |
Pour into clean jars or squeeze bottles, cover and refrigerate. |
Cold and set to a soft, spoonable consistency |
Important Notes
This quantity makes about 1.9 litres of sauce, enough to fill roughly four 500 ml jars. The sauce thickens further as it cools, so judge the final consistency cold, not hot; if it sets too firm, whisk in a little water. Kept in a clean covered jar in the fridge it will last about two weeks, or longer with the preservative; it also freezes well in small containers. The preservative and the red colouring are both optional for home use and can be left out. If you like a softer tang, reduce the citric acid a little and taste as you go.
Tools & Arrangements
Kitchen scales, a wide heavy-based saucepan, a whisk, a heatproof spatula, a stick blender, a fine sieve, and clean jars or squeeze bottles for storage.
