Strawberries in Raspberry Sauce with Thick Crème Fraîche

I have no idea if this dish comes from France, but it certainly seems French. Just take the best-tasting berries you can find and serve them with homemade Crème Fraîche, which in France is naturally soured cream that is thick and lush.

Crème Fraîche that dreams are made of comes from Normandy. We can come within striking distance of that goodness by using an organic heavy cream and a sound sour cream. One caution on sour cream: Read the label. It should state contents as being solely cream and culture. Nothing else. At the moment, I prefer Daisy brand sour cream. It's the only one I've found in my area that is only cream and culture. If only organic producers would pick up on this concept.

Let the strawberries "marinate" in the sauce for a couple of hours. Daub with the cream as you serve the dessert.

Serves 4 to 6

2 cups organic heavy cream
1-1/3 cups sour cream
2 pints strawberries, hulled and halved
2 cups fresh raspberries
Sugar to taste
Pinch salt

1. Make the Crème Fraîîche two days ahead. In a clean jar, shake together the heavy cream and sour cream. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours and then refrigerate for another 24 hours. The cream should be thick and tangy.

2. Place the strawberries in a deep bowl. Puree the raspberries with sugar to taste and a pinch of salt. Strain over the strawberries. Cover and chill for a couple of hours.

3. Serve the berries and their sauce in deep bowls topped with big dollops of the chilled cream. You could lightly sweeten the Crème Fraîîche with a little sugar.

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