Vanilla Bean Gelato with Cognac Macerated Raspberries

Did I have you at Gelato, or was it Cognac Macerated Raspberries?

Sometimes I want a tasty addition to my gelato (crazy, I know). Sometimes you need to whip up a fabulous dessert on short notice. It's easy to make with a few simple ingredients.

My husband took advantage of a buy one/get one sale on gelato. Is it any wonder that I love him? I decided to take advantage of our gelato abundance and made a topping to bump up the decadence.

Macerating and marinating are different terms for the same cooking principle: adding flavor to fruit or meat with liquids. You can add sugar to the macerating liquid if fruit isn't sweet enough, but if you're using fresh in-season fruit you probably won't need to. Adding sugar makes the juice thick and syrupy; if you don't add sugar, the juice will be thinner but still tasty.

You can make an even faster version by putting any fresh or frozen fruit on ice cream and adding a drizzle of the liqueur of your choice. Kahlua, Amaretto, Cognac, and Brandy all would dress up berries, banana, coconut, or chocolate - the possibilities are endless!

Vanilla Bean Gelato with Cognac Macerated Raspberries

1 C frozen raspberries, or your favorite fruit
1t sugar
1T Cognac
1 pint Vanilla Bean Gelato, or your favorite flavor

Combine first three ingredients in a small bowl, toss to coat, and stir every 15-20 minutes (if you have that much time). As the berries or other fruit thaws, their juices mix with the sugar and Cognac to make a delicious sauce.

After dinner, spoon saucy berries over scoops of gelato.

Serve with a sprig of mint or grated chocolate.

I just returned from Malice Domestic 29, and had a fabulous time seeing old friends and meeting new ones!

Happy Homicides 5: The Purr-fect Crime is available for presale now and will be $.99 for a limited time. It will be released May 12 in time for Mother's Day. In "Dying for Sweet Tea" BevAnne makes Puff Pancake with Sliced Strawberries. The recipe for both are in the bonus pdf.