hi there. i’ve been told it’s officially summer. i’ll believe it when i see it. despite the fact that portland’s weather doesn’t reflect summer until after the 4th of july, there are still hopeful signs of summer every where we look. berry season around here is particularly exciting. i would really like to know exactly how many pounds of berries adam and i are able to scarf down in the few fleeting months that berries are in season. or maybe i don’t. i’m sure it’s an obscenely large amount. while we are perfectly happy to eat the lovely strawberries from the farmers market just as is, i came across this wonderful spiced strawberry sauce recipe and just had to try it for the father’s day brunch i cooked for one of the best chefs i know, my dad. my dad is a former professional chef, so cooking for him is every so slightly intimidating. (though he is never critical, thankfully). he appeared to think the sauce was tasty, so i’m calling the recipe a keeper. i served it with these biscuits, but i think it would be amazing in and on any number of things from granola to oatmeal to toast, to….well, straight out of the jar, which is how i managed to polish it off.
a word on the recipe: i didn’t have star anise or a vanilla bean, so i subbed with a bit of nutmeg and vanilla extract and it worked just fine.
s.jillian photography 