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White Chocolate and Frozen Berries

posted in Sweets by Kathy Maister
Difficulty:
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This is my absolute favorite dessert of any I have ever eaten in my whole life!

I first tasted this at the Ivy restaurant in London. They call it Scandinavian Berries; I call it a plate-licking conversation stopper! To make this dessert you will need:

  • 1 cup (8 ounces) of heavy cream
  • 10 ounces of white chocolate
  • ½ teaspoon of vanilla

As well as a half-pint each of 3 small berries like

  • blueberries
  • red raspberries and
  • blackberries

Over in England, there are all sorts of teeny-tiny berries available at the grocery store. However, here in Boston, blueberries are pretty much the smallest berry you can buy.

To make this dessert we need to:

  1. Freeze the berries
  2. Melt the heavy cream, chocolate and vanilla extract together
  3. Pour the hot melted chocolate mixture over the frozen berries.

The blackberries will probably be bigger than the other berries, so start by cutting the blackberries in half, making all the pieces of the berries approximately the same size. Then lay a piece of wax paper or parchment paper on a baking sheet with sides. Spread ALL the berries out in a single layer on the baking sheet.

Lay the baking sheet in the freezer. Once the berries are frozen, remove them from the tray and store them in a baggie in the freezer.

Use the absolute best white chocolate that you can afford. (Try to avoid using “white chocolate chips” as they are not really chocolate.) The block of white chocolate that I bought needs to get chopped up into tiny pieces. It will melt much faster when it’s chopped up.

Put the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl that fits on top of a pan that has an inch or two of water on the bottom. (This is the “double-boiler” system.)

We melted dark chocolate in the fudge recipe this way.

You have to make sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. The whole point of a *double boiler* is to melt/cook things very gently by having the steam from the water (not the water itself) heat the upper bowl!

Add the heavy cream and the vanilla to the bowl of chocolate.

Give it an occasional stir until everything is warm, melted, and all blended together.

About 5 minutes before serving, put the berries in a single layer in a flat bowl.

Pour the hot chocolate mixture into a heat-proof jug. At the table, in front of your guests, pour the hot chocolate mixture over the frozen berries.

The chocolate warms up the berries and the berries cool down the chocolate. One bite and you will be hooked on this utterly fantastic dessert!

Enjoy!

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14 Comments

justin said:

I can’t believe this recipe. It’s so simple and one of the best desserts I’ve ever eaten.

It’s wonderful the way the frozen heavy cream gets this really caramelly texture and flavor like the condensed milk in Vietnamese coffe (which you should blog post about! everyone should have that at least once in their lives!)

My favorite recipe yet!

Kathy Maister said:

Oh WOW! Where in Boston can I go to try some of this Vietnamese coffee?

Kathy Maister said:

Be sure to use a heat-proof bowl, like Pyrex, when melting /cooking anything in a double boiler. If there is any doubt, use a metal bowl instead!

Sharon said:

I found you by way of google. My hubby has a birthday today and I am going to do this for the dessert tonight. But since he also loves dark chocolate I am going to make small chocolate biscuits. I’ll put one in the middle with the berries around it and then pour the sauce over the top.

We shall see. :)

Kathy Maister said:

I hope he enjoys it! (Wish him a Happy Birthday from me!)

Blanca Alegria said:

Thank you very much for this recipe. I too had that desert at Le Caprice & loved it. I will try this recipe tomorrow. Can you use frozen berries?

Many thanks!

B

Kathy Maister said:

Hi Blanca, I assume you mean frozen berries from the store as opposed to berries that you bought fresh and froze yourself? If so, just make sure they are still nicely shaped and not all broken up! Enjoy!

Gareth Toner said:

Thanks for the e-mail reply Kathy! Looks yummy.

premji nisar said:

I will try this recipe .. Thanks.

Kathy Maister said:

Be sure to get really small berries!
Enjoy!

Reese said:

Hiya Kathy,

trying this one tonight. Quick question for future.. can I make the sauce in the double boiler ahead of time, then microwave it back to heat before serving, or does it need to be simmering in the double burner while we eat the entree?

Kathy Maister said:

I have made this in advance and then reheated it in a double boiler and it worked just fine.
If you are reheating it in the microwave DO NOT cover the bowl and reheat it in 30 second increments, stirring often.
I hope you enjoy this as much a I do – it really is one of my very favorites!

Divya said:

Thank you for this recipe. It is a life saver. i had a bag of frozen berries in my freezer and they were so tangy that i didn’t know what to do with them Blending with yogurt was just adding to the sourness. I tried this recipe and kids loved it so last night I seved it to 11 guests, and they were bedazzled. Unbelievably easy and sumptous. Did I say Thanks?

Kathy Maister said:

Divya you are most welcome!

The WOW factor with this dessert never fails!

Cheers!
Kathy

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