Fresh Fruit Sauce

Photo shoot week two. The shoot moved to my house Tuesday-Thursday. The smoker compound was photographed at sunrise Wednesday — the sky lavender-pink, the smoker just lit, smoke beginning to curl, Smokey lying in his usual spot, me with coffee in hand, the whole composition. Emiko had been at my house at 5 AM, set up by 5:30, ready to shoot at 6:08 when the light hit right. I had been told to wear what I normally wear — gray T-shirt, jeans, the smoker gloves on standby. The photograph will be the cover of my chapter. I have not seen the file yet. Lily has. She said, "Dad, you look like yourself." I said, "Who else would I look like?" She said, "I mean — you look like the guy on the blog. The guy who lit a smoker for no reason on the first day of retirement." That's the right photograph.

The kitchen shoots at my house went well. The thit kho. The bánh mì. The pho. The cá kho tộ. Five dishes. Each photographed in the kitchen where I have made them for thirty years. The kitchen looks better in photographs than in life — Quynh styled it lightly, removed the mess, replaced my cluttered countertop with my older wooden cutting board (which is photogenic) and put away the inevitable tangle of charging cables that lives on every kitchen counter in America. The kitchen photographed beautifully.

Emma went into early labor Thursday morning. Ruby was due in mid-November but apparently had her own ideas. Daniel called me at 6 AM. I left the photo shoot — Vy waved me out, said go, the rest can wait — and drove to Texas Children's. Emma was in the labor and delivery wing. Ruby was being delivered. By 9:42 AM Ruby Santos was born — five pounds eleven ounces, healthy, breathing, screaming. Three weeks early but full-term lung development. Emma was tired but okay. Daniel was glowing. Ava was at her grandmother's — Christine's — for the day. I held Ruby at noon. She had Daniel's nose and Emma's mouth. Four grandchildren now. Bobby Tran is the grandfather of four.

I drove home from Texas Children’s that evening with Ruby’s weight still in my arms — five pounds eleven ounces, the fourth grandchild, named Ruby, which is exactly the color of this sauce. The photo shoot was already finished in my mind. The thit kho, the bánh mì, the smoker at sunrise — all of it mattered, and none of it mattered the way holding her did. This sauce is what I made that night when I got home, because I needed something red and simple and sweet, and because “Ruby” deserved a recipe named in her direction.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 22 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Combine the fruit. Add the strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries to a medium saucepan. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.
Cook over medium heat. Bring the fruit mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook for 5–6 minutes until the berries begin to break down and release their juices.
Thicken the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Pour the slurry into the simmering fruit and stir continuously for 2–3 minutes until the sauce thickens to a pourable, glossy consistency.
Finish and cool. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract. Let the sauce cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a jar or bowl. It will thicken slightly more as it cools.
Serve. Spoon warm over pound cake, ice cream, pancakes, or yogurt. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to five days. Rewarm gently on the stovetop or serve cold.

Nutrition (per serving)

Fresh Fruit Sauce — The Morning Ruby Arrived