Berry “salad” (by V+I+K+A)

We had another bbq @ our house with a couple of our friends. For dessert, I decided to keep it simple and fresh, so I made this berry “salad”. I’m not sure if there’s a proper name for it, so that’s what I call it. It’s really easy to make and quick. The berries in this mix are blueberries, strawberries, and red currant. Boy oh boy do I love red currant. Unfortunately, it’s only in season for a short period of time (at least, here, in Illinois), so eat it while it’s still here. 

This was the first time I paired it with a side of vanilla ice cream. French Vanilla from Trader Joe’s to be exact. I can’t even explain how good the entire combination was. The tartness of the currants with the sweetness of the ice cream combined with the hard blueberries and soft strawberries..it was just perfect!

I have a little secret to make it even more perfect, though. I add sugar. To be exact - I use Sugar in the Raw. I don’t use a lot, but I sprinkle a bit over the currants and let them sit for a while before adding the strawberries and blueberries. You can’t be heavy handed with this because the result will be way too sweet. It’s better not to add a lot or (any, if it’s not your thing) than too much.

Do you really need a recipe? If so - here it is:

Ingredients:
1 cup or so of red currants, stemmed and washed (I used about 1 pint)
2 cups strawberries, sliced in smaller pieces.
2 cups of blueberries

about 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Directions:

Put all the currants in the bowl and sprinkle the sugar over them. Mix the currants with the sugar well. Let the mix sit for about 10 minutes. While the currants sit, cut up the strawberries in slices and then halve the slices. If the pieces are too big, then cut them in half again. Combined the strawberries and blueberries with the currants and mix well.

This can be done hours in advance. I’ve found that if I let the berries sit in my fridge for a few hours, it tastes even better! If you don’t have hours, it’s ok, it’ll still be drool-worthy.