Raspberry coulis Dessert Sauce

Theme and variations

What make a raspberry sauce a raspberry coulis? Straining out the seeds to create a smooth, flowing sauce. Cakes—such as cheesecake, angel food cake, pound cake, flourless chocolate cake, and others—as well as puddings, custards, soufflés, and ice creams that feature such flavors as chocolate, vanilla, or fruit, can all be taken to the next level with a spoonful of raspberry coulis.

Try it on pancakes, French toast or waffles as a change of pace from maple syrup.

It’s a brilliant topping for Aunt Rae’s Cheese Blintzes.

This sauce takes minutes to make and uses basic ingredients in your pantry—if you keep a bag or two of frozen raspberries on hand—and it will make your desserts invoke ooohs and ahhhs when they come to the table.

And, with a flick of the wrist, it becomes a savory sauce

for proteins such as roast chicken, duck, quail, squab, lamb, and thick fleshed white fish such as Chilean Sea Bass or Cod.

Take simple vegetarian dishes—such as hearts of palm cutlets—and make them special with a few easy additions.

Here’s How

Basic Ingredients:

• a 12 ounce bag of frozen raspberries

• ¾ cup granulated sugar (less or more to taste)

• 1 tablespoon sweet butter

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

• a tiny pinch of salt

• 1 tablespoon Chambord or Framboise Liqueur, or white wine (optional)

• or, 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or Gran Gala for a hint of orange

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water (optional, for a thicker sauce)

Extras:

• warm spices such as ginger, allspice, cinnamon, or cardamom

Take it from sweet to savory—

• Add a tablespoon or two of raspberry or balsamic vinegar and a few sprigs of fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, or sage, or a sprinkling of Herbs de Provence.

Method:

• In a medium saucepan, combine the frozen raspberries with the sugar and a teeny tiny pinch of salt. (The salt brings out the natural flavor of the fruit without making it salty.)

• Cook, stirring, over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the berries break down.

• If you’re adding herbs, do it now. Also add any spices you’d like to use.

• Then simmer for 5 minutes over medium/low heat, stirring occasionally. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little water—up to ¼ cup.

• Remove any sprigs of fresh herbs. Purée the sauce with an immersion blender, or transfer to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.

• Place a wire mesh strainer over a bowl and push the raspberry sauce through the strainer with the back of a spoon, to remove the seeds.

• Return the raspberry coulis and add any wine or liqueur that you’d like to use. Reheat the sauce.

• Add a splash of water for a thinner sauce.

• Add the cornstarch and water if you’d like a thicker, shiny sauce. Be sure to bring it back to a boil so that the cornstarch can do its thing, and the sauce doesn’t taste like raw cornstarch. Be sure to stir it constantly so that you don’t end up with nasty lumps of cornstarch.

• Remove the raspberry coulis from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Also add vinegar if using. Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzled over any of the above suggestions, with extra coulis in a small pitcher or bowl on the side.