Summer Fruit in Red Wine

Serves 4 to 6

When Bob Broderson was preparing to plant berries in the 1970s, he found the local sources for canes expensive and began looking for an alternative. One day he was driving near Guerneville, showing his wife where he'd grown up, when he spotted what he thought were raspberries. He stopped and approached the farmer, a man in his 80s, who offered to dig up some canes. As Broderson was leaving with his fortuitous gift, he asked what kind of berries they were.

"I don't know," the farmer said. "They're just Sonoma everberries." The name stuck and became the berries that built Bob's Berries reputation. The berries are similar to raspberries but darker red and very perishable. Bob died in May of 1997, and his daughter Ceclie Kraus now runs the family business. Over the years she has tried to discover the variety of her father's everberries but has never seen a similar one.

1 cup strawberries, washed, stemmed, and halved
1 cup Sonoma County everberries or raspberries
1 cup blackberries, rinsed and dried
4 Santa Rosa plums, cut into thick slices
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 to 3 white peaches, peeled and sliced
2 cups fruity red wine,
such as Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel
8 to 10 mint leaves, cut in thin julienne
Mint leaves for garnish

In a medium bowl, toss together the berries and plums, sprinkle with the sugar, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours. Place the peaches in a large bowl, pour the wine over them, cover, and refrigerate. To serve, add the berries, their juices, and the cut mint to the peaches, toss gently, and spoon into glass dessert dishes. Garnish with mint leaves and serve immediately.

Buy the Book!

The New Cook's Tour of Sonoma
By Michele Anna Jordan
Sasquatch Books, 2000
Paperback, $21.95
320 pages, full color photographs
ISBN: 1-57061-218-8
Recipe reprinted by permission.