Easy Berry Sauce Recipe (Power Foods) (2024)

October 5, 2012 by Jeanette 20 Comments

Over the summer, my family visited my folks down in Maryland to celebrate my dad’s 85th birthday. Food has always been central to our family gatherings and this was no different. We ate our hearts out and were treated to a few special desserts served with this Berry Sauce that my brother-in-law made. My brother-in-law is not only French, but he’s also a chef – my sister is so lucky ;).

My kids absolutely loved this Berry Sauce, which was served with my dad’s birthday cake. It is so versatile that it can be served with yogurt, pancakes, French toast and of course, birthday cake. When I asked my brother-in-law how to make it, he said it was simply berries with some sugar. No thickeners at all. After further prodding, I got the proportions he used to make this Berry Sauce – 1 kilo berries + 200 grams of sugar. Since I don’t use kilos and grams when I cook, I weighed everything out the first time and converted it to cups for the recipe.

This recipe is the perfect way to use less than perfect berries or over-ripe berries. I used half fresh strawberries and half frozen blueberries the first time I made it and frozen raspberries the following time, but any combination of fresh or frozen berries would work.

This berry sauce has become one of my youngest sons’ favorite toppings for French toast and pancakes in place of honey or maple syrup.

In fact, we’ve been putting it on just about everything to add a little some special, including this Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread and Chocolate Coffee Marble Cake I made recently.

This week, a group of bloggers is featuring Berries as a Power Food. This weekly food blogging group features a different Power Food each week based on the book Power Foods: 150 delicious recipes with 38 Healthiest Ingredients from the editors of Martha Stewart’s Whole Living Magazine. Power Foods are foods that are outstanding in the amounts of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, essential fatty acids, fiber and more, that help fight disease and promote good health.

So what makes Berries a Power Food? Their deep jewel colors are an indication that these little fruits are packed with flavonoids, a group of phytochemicals that can counter cell damage and potentially reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries also contain potent antioxidants that help reduce inflammation and may slow the growth of cancer. All berries are high in fiber (especially raspberries and blackberries), manganese and vitamin C (strawberries are exceptionally high), and also contain vitamins K (blueberries and blackberries are highest) and E, folate and potassium. It’s best to eat a mixture of berries to get the greatest benefit since their nutrition profiles compliment each other.

Check out what these other bloggers have cooked up for this week’s Power Foods post: (If you’re interested in joining our group, contact Mireya from My Healthy Eating Habits.)

Alyce –More Time at the Table
Ansh –Spice Roots,
Chaya – My Sweet and Savory
Martha –Simple-Nourished-Living
Mireya –My Healthy Eating Habits
Sarah –Everything in the Kitchen Sink
Minnie – The Lady 8 Home

Sources:

Power Foods: 150 Delicious Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients