I’ve posted previously about my love for strawberries, but my second favorite berry and berry flavor, has got to be raspberry. A bowl of fresh and tangy, sweet, refreshing, juicy raspberries- is there anything better?

Turns out, there’s a large number of raspberry recipes online- from raspberry sherbet, to raspberry pie, to this ridiculously easy-to-assemble Raspberry Chocolate Torte (which I’ve tried, and which is awesome, by the way). There’s even raspberry vinaigrette, which, I’m sorry, looks so much like a pitcher of delicious raspberry juice in the photo, I want to down a glass right now.

Still, the best way I like my raspberries is fresh and plain. No sugar, no cream, just a bowl of plain deliciousness, thank you very much. I like to wash them quickly in very cold water, and serve them immediately. They’re packed full of good things like antioxidants, vitamins b and c, and lots of fiber (which means I can enjoy them without breaking my low-carb diet). It’s foods like these, perfect from nature, that really make me smile.

A friend sent us five kilos of sweet and juicy strawberries (thanks, Vincent!)- and so far we’ve had Strawberry Cake, Strawberry Pie (a recipe I’ll share with you soon, it was swooningly delicious), even Strawberry Pancakes. But my all-time favorite way to enjoy these strawberries has been simply: by macerating them.

If you find yourself with fresh strawberries, please please try this. The maceration brings out the strawberry’s natural flavor in an awesome way. A perfect recipe to celebrate Earth Day with:

Macerated Strawberries

2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 bottle of your favorite red wine
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest
1 teaspoon ground black pepper (the powdery kind. Seriously.)
1/2 cup sugar

Combine all of the above in a large bowl. Cover and sit in refrigerator for a few hours. Serve with dollops of creme fraiche. Mmmm.