I am not a fan of traditional dessert, but I do have every affection desserts composed of fruit drizzled with something (or soaked in something). This is an adaptation of a recipe in Cooking with Italian Grandmother’s, which is the best cook book I have read since Ad Hoc. This dish was the capstone to girls night, which of course means that we served it with ice cream, in one bowl with four spoons. It was perfect with the summer sweet strawberries and the heavenly vanilla bean ice cream (thanks for picking that up Sarah).

Wine-Soaked Berries

Serves Four

One cup red wine (I used Malbec)
One carton Strawberries, cleaned and de-greened
Two Tablespoons Sugar
Cinnamon, to taste
Freshly torn basil or mint, chiffonade

Combine berries, wine, and one tablespoon sugar in a bowl. Soak for three to four hours. When ready to serve, strain berries and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with cinnamon, extra sugar (for crunch), a couple turns of ground black pepper; and basil. Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or on its own.