I was shopping for blackberries, but it was the stacks of Sunshine and regular red raspberries that caught my eye.
Sunshine raspberries are a trademarked variety of gold raspberries from Driscoll's.
I had seen them in Kroger several times this season but hadn't bought any. When I noticed there were no blackberries at all, I gave in and picked up a few cartons of both types of raspberries.
The Sunshine raspberries are even more fragile than their bright red counterparts, less than 12 hours later some had turned smooshy and a couple had hints of mold on them. (This is precisely why I don't often buy fresh raspberries -- they seem to rot before my very eyes even when I store them exactly as instructed: unwashed and refrigerated for no more than a day or two.)
But these blushing golden berries were too tempting to pass up. With their quality slipping away by the second, I ate them over the sink straight from the container, giving each a light rinse before popping it in my mouth.
The pink-blushed, yellow fruits had an intense raspberry flavor that defies their pale color. Surprisingly, they tasted even more like raspberries than their bright red cousins.
As for the red berries, I used them to make this delicious sweet-tart raspberry sauce. Use it as you would balsamic vinegar. Use it to sweeten (and add a touch of tartness) to cocktails. Drizzle it over strawberries or poached pears. Whisk it with olive oil for a quick vinaigrette. Use it as a glaze for roasted vegetables. Or a sauce for chicken or pork. You could even eat it drizzled over vanilla ice cream.
Raspberry and Burnt Honey Gastrique
1 cup apple cider vinegar or other fruit vinegar
1 cup honey
1 heaping cup fresh raspberries
Pinch salt
Pour the vinegar into a spouted measure and set aside.
In a deep nonreactive saucepan such as an enameled Dutch oven, bring the honey to a boil and cook over medium-low heat until it noticeably darkens in color. Depending on the stove and the pan, this could take as few as 6 minutes to as long as 30 minutes. Carefully stir in the vinegar in a steady stream; the honey will sputter at first so watch for splashes. Stir in the raspberries and add a pinch of salt. Return the mixture to a vigorous simmer and cook, breaking the berries up, until mixture is slightly reduced, 10 to 20 minutes.
Strain out solids and transfer to a glass jar or bottle and store in the refrigerator.
This recipe can also be canned using a water bath canner.
To can: Sterilize 2 (1/2-pint) or 4 (4-ounce) jelly jars and prepare lids and bands.
Fill jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe rims. Place lids on jars and screw to fingertip tight, until resistance is just met. Process jars in a water-bath canner for 10 minutes. Remove from canner and let cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours. Check seals. Refrigerate any jars that did not seal properly. Store sealed jars away from direct sunlight for up to 1 year.
Makes about 2 cups.
Recipe adapted from Beyond Canning: New Techniques, Ingredients, and Flavors to Preserve, Pickle, and Ferment Like Never Before by Autumn Giles
Food on 06/22/2016