Blackberry Balsamic Rosemary Sauce...over Cheesecake

This Sunday afternoon snack came together in about 20 minutes!  I picked up some cheesecake "bites" from the grocery store, and just wanted a bit of something sweet.  Well the cheesecake is SO super sweet that a sauce that "tones" that down just a bit is welcome.  This sauce was adapted from a recipe that I found in Traditional Home, and it looked quite yummy.  

This sauce is for those of you who enjoy the traditional with a twist.  Just a little something different in the background that makes a dish unique.

Ingredients:
9 oz of seedless blackberry preserves or jam
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp good quality aged balsamic vinegar
1 sprig fresh rosemary
optional - about 2/3 tsp cornstarch in 1 Tbsp water.

So first, a visit out to the herb garden.  I have enough rosemary for my entire subdivision!

Combine the preserves, water and vinegar together.  Bring to a simmer over medium to medium-high heat.

 Add 1 sprig fresh rosemary.

Simmer, uncovered about 3-5 minutes.  Simmer longer for a thicker sauce.  I also took this opportunity to dissolve about 2/3 tsp of cornstarch into 1 Tbsp water and add to the boiling sauce.  Let this come to a complete boil for at least 1 minute so it can do it's job as a thickener.

Remove from heat.  Remove the sprig of rosemary.

 Let sauce cool.  I poured mine into a ceramic dish first...

 ...then added it to an ice bath and stirred it every couple of minutes.  (Patience was never my strong suit).  This cut my cooling time down from probably an hour to about 10 minutes.

To serve, I topped a "cheesecake bite" with a bit of the sauce, garnished with fresh blackberries and a fresh rosemary sprig.  Delish!

See these four blackberries?  I can put money on it that they are the only four I'll get out of the whole container.  My oldest and youngest will demolish them... so this makes me feel a bit less guilty about my little nap time indulgence today.  - out here on the porch, looking out over the lake... Ahhhhh!  If only my favorite photographer was here to enjoy this with me.

Order the Menu Musings Cookbook!

Food notes:

I see that several people use a blackberry balsamic sauce for a variety of meats - cornish hens, duck, lamb, pork tenderloin.... Mmmm... it's nice to have so many uses for something so quick, easy and delicious.  This truly was just a easy and fast sauce.  Cover and chill the left over sauce and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

Lagniappe -

Just a little walk through the herb garden... Since we are enjoying such beautiful Autumn weather right now.  It's hard to make yourself stay indoors.

Green onions

Rosemary

Mint

Oregano

Tarragon

Thyme

Basil

Written Method:
Combine the preserves, water and vinegar together.  Bring to a simmer over medium to medium-high heat.

 Add 1 sprig fresh rosemary.

Simmer, uncovered about 3-5 minutes.  Simmer longer for a thicker sauce.  I also took this opportunity to dissolve about 2/3 tsp of cornstarch into 1 Tbsp water and add to the boiling sauce.  Let this come to a complete boil for at least 1 minute so it can do it's job as a thickener.

Remove from heat.  Remove the sprig of rosemary.

 Let sauce cool.  I poured mine into a ceramic dish first...

 ...then added it to an ice bath and stirred it every couple of minutes.  (Patience was never my strong suit).  This cut my cooling time down from probably an hour to about 10 minutes.

To serve, I topped a "cheesecake bite" with a bit of the sauce, garnished with fresh blackberries and a fresh rosemary sprig.  Delish!

See these four blackberries?  I can put money on it that they are the only four I'll get out of the whole container.  My oldest and youngest will demolish them... so this makes me feel a bit less guilty about my little nap time indulgence today.  - out here on the porch, looking out over the lake... Ahhhhh!  If only my favorite photographer was here to enjoy this with me.