Brown Butter Raspberries
Amanda Hesser
Photo by James Ransom
- Serves
- 4
Raspberries share some of the same qualities of a fresh tomato – they’re delicate and sweet yet have formidable acidity. I worried that plain browned butter on a raspberry might be odd, so after browning the butter, I dropped in some vanilla – which vaporized in the hot butter, magnifying its scent. Just as I'd done with the tomatoes, I spooned the butter on the raspberries, so it sizzled into the fruit, and then in place of the flaky salt, I sprinkled the wilting berries with raw sugar. As I ate the raspberries, the butter, vanilla, and sugar brought warm pie to mind.
Ingredients
- 16 ounce raspberries
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Raw sugar, about 1/2 teaspoon per bowl, depending on the berries’ sweetness
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Directions
- Step 1
Divide the raspberries among 4 shallow bowls. Drop the butter in a small saucepan and place over medium heat. Melt the butter and let it bubble and boil. It may spit, so place a spatter guard on top if you have one; otherwise stand back. When the butter begins to brown on the edges, give the pan a light swirl so the butter browns evenly. Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the butter begins to smell nutty. Add the vanilla.
- Step 2
Spoon the butter over the raspberries and sprinkle with sugar. You might want to do this at the table so everyone is served right away – this is best eaten while the butter is warm. Ask everyone to mix up the berries, and dig in!