Bobbin for berries

Strawberries arrived at the Portland Farmers Market this weekend, not the big cottony red things you find at the grocery store by the same name, but the small, intense, juicy flavorful berries that stain your fingers red - the type of strawberry that you dream of for the other 11 months of the year. Strawberries open berrypalooza followed immediately by raspberries and blueberries. Berry season closes out later in the summer blackberries including the delicious but hilariously named, marionberry.

Shortcake, which might not be cake at all (more on that later this week), topped with hopefully whipped cream but sometimes Cool Whip is the very traditional partner for strawberries. Like any standard, be it a classic song or a mainstream dessert, the result can be a soulless cliché or if the cook (or singer) is attentive, energetic and respectful of the source material, the outcome can so very good you’d think the person spent years studying and perfecting its nuances.

Saucykitcens™ avoids the thick baking powder laced shortcake, occasionally cake is served with berries but it is in the form of Angel Food. Saucyguests are more likely to see berries served (surprisingly) with a sauce. On the simple end, either mascarpone lightened with a little Chantilly (Sweetened Vanilla’d Whip Cream) or Sauce Romanoff (roughly 1 part sour cream + 3 parts Chantilly = All Good) can be employed, but when time allows, nothing beats a custard sauce.

There are a few variations on egg-based dessert sauces – over the years my Sister in Common Law (SICLa) had such a hard time remembering her Zabaglione from her Cream Anglaise, that she just referrers to all of the custards as Bob. For a while she was doing really good, specifically IDing Zabaglione, asking if it was Sauce Roberto.

To help my SICLa and others keep track, here is the field guide to custard sauces to be used with berries:

Cream Anglaise – Consisting only of yolk, sugar, ½ & ½ and vanilla, this is the mother of all dessert sauces. The custard’s simplicity allows it to be adapted in all sorts of ways – mix in ¼ c of Scotch into a quart of Cream Anglaise and serve it with shortbread, stick it in an ice cream maker and use it as a base for homemade ice cream or stir in a little kirsch/framboise and drizzle it over berries.

Bavarian Cream – A vanilla and cream custard that includes gelatin or some kind of binding agent. This Teutonic variation is more rigid and not quite subtle as its English counterpart but it does hold up well in the heat of an afternoon party.

Sabayon – The dairy free and lightest of all custards, sabayon is usually made with a dessert or sparkling wine. Other beverages like pear/apple cider, Lambic Ales or flavored brandies can be easily substituted. Unlike Cream Anglaise, it does not subsume to stronger flavors, whatever liquid is selected for the sabayon will be the primary flavor - be careful to match flavors carefully. Champagne, Cava or Prosecco all make an extra good sabayon to be used with berries.

Zabaglione – An Italian Sabayon, specifically made with Marsala, this custard is best known to dessert lovers from its supporting role in Tiramisu. Besides being fun to say, Zabaglione is a good way to give berries a little something special without overwhelming them.