Strawberries may be American consumers’ favorite berry, but in our house, it is definitely raspberries that take the prize for the most beloved red berry. They are part of the rose family of plants, which includes fruits like apples, apricots, blackberries, cherries, peaches, pears, plums, and strawberries. Almonds are also in this diverse family of plants. Eric & Andrew like to eat raspberries just as they are. (Last time I bought raspberries when Andrew was home, he wanted some raspberries for a “snack”. He ate all the raspberries in that 12 ounce container in one sitting!) I prefer to skip the seeds and have my raspberries in something, especially a dessert!
This preserve recipe isn’t quite a dessert, but it certainly works well as a topping for ice cream, angel food cake, pound cake, short cake . . . you get the picture. The first batch I made became gifts for visiting family members. Now is a great time to make some with raspberries in season.
Raspberry Vanilla Preserves
Raspberry-Vanilla Preserves (adapted from cookinglight.com) Yield: 3 cups
Total time: 5 Hours, 30 Minutes, Hands-on: 50 Minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 pounds fresh raspberries
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 1 kiwi, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
Preparation:
Combine the sugar, salt, and raspberries in a medium bowl. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add both the seeds and the pod to the raspberry mixture. Cover the mixture and let it stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
Combine the sugar, raspberries & vanilla bean and let it sit at room temperature.
The sugar draws the juice out of the raspberries.
Place the raspberry mixture in a fine sieve over a bowl. Press on the solids with a spatula to extract the liquid or run the raspberry mixture through a Foley food mill to extract the liquid.
Press the juice out of the raspberries with a Foley food mill.
Place the liquid only in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook it for 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the kiwi pieces and reduce the heat to medium-low.
Add the kiwi to the raspberries after the mixture has boiled.
Cook the preserves, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the mixture has thickened and bubbles pop slowly on the surface. Remove the pan from the heat and cool it for 5 minutes. Discard the pod from the vanilla bean. Use a wand blender to make the mixture uniform.
Use a wand blender to homogenize the mixture.
Stir in the butter until it is melted.
Add the butter to the preserves, stirring until it is melted.
Cool the preserves completely. Transfer the preserves to sterilized glass containers with airtight lids and refrigerate. Use the preserves within 2 weeks. The preserves can also be frozen in airtight plastic containers for 2-3 months.
This is so full of fresh raspberry flavor!
These wonderful preserves are perfect for breakfast or snack time! ~Linda
Raspberry-Vanilla Preserves (adapted from cookinglight.com) Yield: 3 cups
Total time: 5 Hours, 30 Minutes, Hands-on: 50 Minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 pounds fresh raspberries
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 1 kiwi, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
Preparation:
Combine the sugar, salt, and raspberries in a medium bowl. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add both the seeds and the pod to the raspberry mixture. Cover the mixture and let it stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours up to overnight.
Place the raspberry mixture in a fine sieve over a bowl. Press on the solids with a spatula to extract the liquid or run the raspberry mixture through a Foley food mill to extract the liquid.
Place the liquid only in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook it for 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the kiwi pieces and reduce the heat to medium-low.
Cook the preserves, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the mixture has thickened and bubbles pop slowly on the surface. Remove the pan from the heat and cool it for 5 minutes. Discard the pod from the vanilla bean. Use a wand blender to make the mixture uniform.
Stir in the butter until it is melted.
Cool the preserves completely. Transfer the preserves to sterilized glass containers with airtight lids and refrigerate. Use the preserves within 2 weeks. The preserves can also be frozen in airtight plastic containers for 2-3 months.