Wine Berries with Whipped Mascarpone

It's been a while since I've shared a personal recipe, so here's one that's relatively simple and satisfying. What's that you say? I've only shared two original recipes on this blog? Well, you're right. That's one recipe per year, folks. So bask in the rarity of this type of a post.

Really, though, one of my resolutions for 2012 was to jumpstart my creative juices, and actually measure out and share the results through a recipe, more frequently. So here's the first for 2012.

This recipe was inspired by a dessert I had at Los Angeles' Angelini Osteria: Mascarpone with Strawberries and Wine. I wanted to capture the light creaminess of the mascarpone and the sweetness of the strawberries, but with more berries and a bit more acidity.

I've made this recipe quite a few times now, but I've been too lazy to measure things out. Ideally, you'd enjoy this in the summer when berries are in season, but sometimes, you just need your fix of berries, and this is one of my favorite ways to indulge that craving. The sweet fluffy mascarpone takes on the consistency and flavor of a homemade vanilla ice cream and hits just the right notes of lemon with the boozy berries and refreshing herb of your choice.

Ingredients for six servings of Wine Berries with Whipped Mascarpone

4 cups of a fruity Merlot or Zinfandel

3 t + 1 t fresh lemon juice

1 cup white cane sugar

1 lb strawberries, trimmed and halved

1/2 pint blueberries (8 oz)

1/2 pint raspberries (8 oz)

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 t vanilla extract

2 T light brown sugar

3/4 t finely grated lemon zest

1 cup mascarpone (8 oz)

Fresh mint or basil

1. Stir together the wine, 3 t of lemon juice, and sugar in a bowl.

2. Add the berries to the bowl and let the berries macerate for at room temperature for 1 hour.

3. Chill berries for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

4. In another bowl, beat the heavy cream with the vanilla extract, brown sugar, and lemon zest until soft peaks form.

5. Add the mascarpone and 1 t of lemon juice until blended.

6. Scoop the mascarpone into 6 serving bowls, add a couple scoops of wine berries with a slotted spoon, and garnish with ripped/chiffonade mint or basil.