Apples w/ Raspberry Sauce [Mele Con La Salsa Di Lampone] Recipe

This dessert recipe is a request from my good friend, Trish, one of the greatest ward activity planners of all Provo-dom.

As custom dictates, proper meals finish with a fresh fruit rather than being overwhelmed by an overly sweet dessert (like more popular restaurants would have you believe.) Too often we think of this as just an apple, a pear, or some other plain piece of fresh or canned fruit, but there are broader bounds of imagination in Sicily. This dolce is a perfect example of this. Traditionally, it is made with a raspberry liqueur called aspretto di lampone, which is made from raspberries that have been aged and fermented in fruit wood. In this recipe, though, we use a good-quality raspberry [wine] vinegar, which works just as well, and has the benefit of being much easier to find.

It is light, sophisticated and surprisingly healthy ending to and wonderful meal. The main costs were $4 for the raspberries and apples, each. And $3 for the vinegar. I had the rest of the ingredients lying around. (All the better if you can pick fresh raspberries and/or apples.)


Ingredients

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

• 2 cups fresh raspberries
• 3 tablespoons raspberry jam
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• ¼ cup white dessert wine (like Moscato d'Asti) [but not really]
• 1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar - (to 2)
• 8 medium Golden Delicious/Jonny Gold/Inexpensive apples - (to 10) peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (it doesn't matter if they brown; they all dye red anyway.)
• Mascarpone cheese or sweetened whipped cream for serving
• ½ cup crushed almonds

Recipe

1. Puree the raspberries in a blender or food processor. Add the jam and sugar and pulse to blend. Add the wine and vinegar and blend well.
2. Put the apple slices in a large bowl and pour the raspberry sauce over them. Mix gently to coat the apple slices. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour.
3. Spoon the fruit with some of the sauce into individual dessert bowls and top with a dollop of whipped cream or Mascarpone cheese [very rare, but worth it]. Sprinkle the almonds over the top of each bowl and serve immediately.

Note: To keep raspberries fresh and prevent mold from developing, remove them from their container and place them in a single layer on a paper-towel-lined dish. Cover and refrigerate.

*Sorry I don't have my own picture. Everyone ate it too fast.

[Source 1, Source 2]