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Berries Romanoff with Frozen Sour Cream

Although this dessert sounds old-fashioned, the frozen sour cream is a modern-day update. And the fact remains that it’s a wonderful way to use a bounty of ripe summer berries. Such an elegant dessert couldn’t be easier to make—the frozen sour cream, which doesn’t require any cooking, is churned like ice cream while the berries marinate in orange-flavored liqueur, and the two come together in wine glasses for serving.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 4 servings

Ingredients

Berries

3/4 cup (180 ml) Triple Sec or clear curaçao
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange, preferably organic
1 1/2 to 2 pounds (5 to 6 cups/675 g to 1 kg) mixed berries (a combination of blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and hulled and quartered strawberries)

Frozen sour cream

2/3 cup (160 ml) whole milk
1/3 cup (80 g) regular or low-fat sour cream
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
2 teaspoons kirsch or vodka

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    To prepare the berries, in a medium bowl, whisk together the Triple Sec or curaçao with the 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar and orange zest until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the berries and let marinate at room temperature for about 1 hour, stirring gently once or twice.

    Step 2

    To make the frozen sour cream, in a blender, mix together the milk, sour cream, 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar, and kirsch or vodka until combined. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

    Step 3

    To assemble, spoon the berries into 4 stemmed wine glasses, dividing them evenly, and top with a scoop of the frozen sour cream. Pour some of the berry syrup over each and serve right away.

  2. Storage

    Step 4

    The frozen sour cream can be made up to 1 month in advance.

  3. Variation

    Step 5

    Sliced peaches, nectarines, or plums are nice additions to the berry mix.

Cover of David Lebovitz's Ready for Dessert featuring plates of cookies and a glass of milk.
Reprinted with permission from Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes, copyright 2010 by David Lebovitz. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved. Buy the full book at Amazon or Bookshop.
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