Berry sauces / syrups

I love berries, of all varieties, and this is the time of year for them. I've recently discovered two berry sauces that I love, both based on the same ingredients: fruit, wine, vinegar, sugar, and heat. The flavors are amazingly intense, and they'd be delicious on many things -- cheesecake, ice cream, even meat! I don't think you'd need particularly good berries because of the strong extra flavors, so frozen would probably be fine. But if you have some nice berries already...

Recipe number one comes from Gail Kyle at the Jordan Follow Farm Inn, via Food Network. It was originally intended to serve with pork crusted in herbs, but its so sweet it would work fine with desserts too.

Wild Huckleberry Sauce
In a medium saucepan, combine

1. 2 c fresh huckleberries or blueberries
2. 1/3 c sugar
3. 2 T raspberry vinegar (I used balsamic; red wine vinegar would probably also work)
4. 1/4 c white wine

Simmer gently until most berries burst and sauce is slightly thickened, about 10-15 minutes.

Recipe number two from an elaborate but delicious recipe for semolina cake (almost like cheesecake in texture) in some spring 2006 issue of Bon Appetit. I don't know if this one would work for meat dishes, but it's great on cakes and other desserts!

Strawberries in Red Wine and Balsamic Syrup
In a medium saucepan, combine

1. 1 bottle red wine (750 mL, something fruity, I use a Cab)
2. 6 T sugar (3/8 c)
3. 1 T balsamic vinegar

Simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 35 minutes. Cool to room temperature and combine with

1. 1 lb strawberries, hulled and sliced

Upside-Down Cakes

I've had good luck with upside-down cakes lately, an apple one and a banana one. The recipes are quite similar, so I thought it would be fun to put them side-by-side for comparison. Personally, I think I prefer the apple variation -- chunks of fruit in the cake is really nice, and the butterscotch is a nice twist.

Banana Upside Down Cake(s)
Butter 8 1-cup ramekins or a 9 inch cake pan. Over medium heat, whisk together until smooth and bubbly:

1. 12 T butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2. 3/4 c brown sugar

Pour into the bottom of the ramekins or cake pan. Peel and slice 1/4" thick, placing in concentric circles in bottom(s) of ramekins/pan:

1. 4 large ripe bananas (spotted but not mushy)

Sift together:

1. 1 1/2 c cake flour (6 5/8 oz White Lily)
2. 1 t baking powder
3. 1/4 t baking soda
4. 1/2 t cinnamon
5. 1/4 t Kosher salt

In the mixer, cream together:

1. 1 c sugar
2. 8 T butter, room temperature (1 stick; 2 1/2 sticks total for this recipe)

Scrape down sides and mix in:

1. 2 eggs
2. 2 t vanilla

Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk, and mix until smooth:

1. 5 fl. oz. buttermilk (1/2 c + 2 T)

Pour batter into ramekins/pan and bake at 350 F, on a rimmed baking sheet (this bubbles over). Ramekins need 35-40 minutes; cake pan needs 45-50 minutes. Cool slightly, then loosen sides and invert onto serving plate(s).

This recipe comes from Karen Barker's Sweet Stuff, she of Magnolia Grill fame. She suggests blueberries, plums, fresh pineapple, and cranberries as possible alternates for the bananas.

My two cents on this: the baking powder (1 t) and baking soda (1/4 t) have equivalent leavening power, but the 1/4 t soda will neutralize the acidity from the ~1/2 c buttermilk completely, so the other half of the leavening needs to supply its own acid (which is what baking powder does).

Upside-Down Butterscotch Apple Sour Cream Cake
In a 10" skillet over medium heat, melt and whisk together till smooth and bubbling:

1. 6 T butter
2. 1/3 c brown sugar
3. 1/3 c butterscotch morsels

Add and cook about 5 minutes:

1. 2 large apples, pleaved, cored, and sliced (1/4")

Cool slightly, then arrange slices in concentric circles if desired. (Too much work for me.) If your skillet is shallow or not ovenproof, you should move the contents to a deep 9" cake pan instead.

Sift together:

1. 1 1/2 c flour (6 5/8 oz White Lily)
2. 1 1/2 t baking powder
3. 3/4 t salt

In the mixer, cream together:

1. 8 T (1 stick) butter, room temperature
2. 2/3 c sugar

Scrape sides down and mix in:

1. 2 eggs
2. 1 1/2 t vanilla

Beat in dry ingredients, then

1. 1/2 c sour cream (low fat is OK, not fat free)
2. 1/2 large apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped (~3/4 c)

Spoon batter carefully over the apples and smooth it out. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 F, with something in place to catch any drips. Cool slightly, loosen edges with a knife, and invert onto serving plate.

I would use Gala apples for this, or maybe Granny Smiths, but the original recipe from Bon Appetit (March 2006) called for Golden Delicious (ugh).

As I said, these recipes are very similar. I slightly prefer the effect of sour cream to that of buttermilk, and I think the fruit in the cake and the butterscotch morsels are both killer additions. On the other hand, a little cinnamon in the batter is also a nice touch.