Blackberry Pinot Noir Frozen Dessert
This dessert is a bit unique – big juicy blackberries or boysenberries combined with wine and some richness yet it is still delicious, cold, and refreshing. It’s a good dessert for a dinner party as it is easily made ahead. Ice cream gets its creaminess from the dairy ingredients and sorbet gets its texture from the large amount of sugar granules that keep it from freezing solid. We have a ton of fresh fresh blackberries and I really wanted to make something cold and fresh with them but without sugar or dairy, and I didn’t want it frozen solid. So how could I keep the recipe from freezing? I came up with only one idea (alcohol) and luckily it worked. I think it was the Margarita that inspired the idea of not allowing the whole thing to freeze into one giant ice cube.
Blackberry Pinot Noir Dessert
1 lb blackberries, plus a few extra for garnish
2 shot glasses (2 oz) pinot noir
1 shot glass (1 oz) water
honey
tiny pinch of salt
Add 1 lb berries to a small pot and bring heat up to medium. Turn down heat if it comes to a simmer, we want just enough heat to break the berries down and render their juices. Macerate berries with the back of a fork, really smashing the heck out of each berry. After they begin to break down (about 7-10 minutes) add a big squirt of honey, about a Tbsp or more, but its your choice how much depending on how sweet you want it. Fill a shot glass with water and drizzle it in. Next, add two shots of wine. Add a tiny pinch of salt. Let cook 1-2 minutes more, then mash mix through a strainer into a bowl and really work it through with the fork to get as much juice through as possible. Pour mix into four very small bowls, ramekins or teacups that you will be serving in and let cool on the counter for 15 minutes. Put in the freezer for about 2 1/2 hours, mixing up once or twice near the end, until slushy. It is best to catch it at the right time as it may still get fairly hard but can be thawed. Remove and break up with a spoon, add extra blackberries into cups. Hey, I think we just cheated dessert by eating something healthy.
by the handful 
We tried this last week when it was so hot….refreshing!! We didn’t have any pinot noir on hand, so used burgundy, and used a juicer instead of cooking the berries down. It was very good. Today we are making another batch with some pinot noir. Another thing; I left 2 small portions in the freezer to try frozen, and on a very hot day that was nice, too, I could still eat it with a spoon.
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Awesome Norma! Glad it worked out for you. Perfect substitution as our Northwest Pinot Noir grape is actually derived from the Burgundy grape. Thanks for the feedback.
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