I was a bit worried that I had ruined the raspberries by putting them in the freezer.
We had a pretty good bounty this past summer, but at the time, every berry that I didn’t get to eat felt like a sacrifice of the greatest magnitude. And they looked so sad in their plastic container, frost and ice crystals forming over them, suffering the indignity of having their integrity ruptured by the expansion of the freezing juices, and getting accidentally thawed when the freezer door didn’t quite shut properly.
It turned out to be worth the wait, as their fruity tartness blended nicely with the simple creamy sweetness of the Häagen Dazs vanilla ice cream that we also had in the fridge. (An interesting contrast to a few days ago, when it seemed too sweet when I had some with some oreos.)
It was like you could taste a bit of summer in every bite, the snow, freezing rain and sleet outside notwithstanding.
Raspberries are my special favorite berry, so perhaps I can offer two thoughts on the frozen version. First, the quality of frozen berries (purchased in a bag or container, as opposed to the ones you freeze yourself) are quite good. They are frozen very soon after picking, so they are at their peak. We keep these in the house as a staple. As for berries you freeze yourself, what they lack in appearance, they still have in wonderful flavor. To keep the flavor, but get beyond the appearance, we pop them in a pot and quickly (few minutes, max) heat them up. Poured on top of ice cream (as you have found) or on cake (lemon loaf is always lovely with raspberries) and they are absolutely yummy. Thanks!
Kind of makes me wish for the summertime.
Anything new for St. Paddy’s day food?