I’ve been macerating fruit for years, and I didn’t even know it. Macerate is just a fancy word for marinate. Essentially, you soak fruit in a liquid. You could use a simple syrup, citrus juice, lemon juice, sugar, vodka, rum, or a combination of two. For a dinner party last night, I dressed up some flavorless berries with honey and lemon juice.
Macerating the berries, brings out their sweet juices, deepens their color, and softens the fruit. Check back tomorrow– I’m going to taste test blueberry waffles from WFM, and top them off with some of these gorgeous berries…
How to Macerate Berries
1. Use berries you have on hand. Even if the fruit is less-than-perfect, the soaking liquid will flavor the fruit. I prefer a mixture of berries. I used 2 cups strawberries, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1/4 cup blackberries, and 1/4 cup raspberries.
2. Wash and dry the berries.
3. To prepare the strawberries, remove the leaves. Use a pairing knife to slice the strawberries. Quarter the strawberries if they are big, halve the berries if they are on the smaller side.
4. In a bowl, toss the berries with the juice of a lemon.
5. Add about 1 tablespoon of honey or 1 tablespoon of sugar in the raw, mix.
6. Let the fruit sit in the fridge for at least 24 hours. Serve at room temperature.
7. Garnish the fruit with some chopped mint leaves
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