Make the Perfect Berries and Cream While You Still Can

Even when talking about day-neutral Tristar strawberries—which can technically be harvested as late as early fall—the brief window in which one can easily source truly sublime berries is a supremely fleeting and elusive moment that is finished almost as soon as it arrives.

This unfortunate reality is exactly the reason why it's critically important to treat these hyper-seasonal fruits with the utmost respect whenever you have the chance to cook with them in their freshest and un-frozen form.

Michelin-starred chef John Fraser understands this all too well, which is precisely why he recently shared with us his recipe for the perfect berries and cream. The dessert is basically an ode to simplicity and can be made with any fresh mixed berries you happen to have lying around.

A delicately balanced lemongrass and vanilla simple syrup, with a handful of anise hyssop leaves, brings together the hodgepodge of mixed berries and adds to their sweetness without overpowering them. Add to all that some great crème fraîche and some bronze fennel, strawberry flowers, nasturtium, and some more anise hyssop for a garnish, and you have a dessert that is elevated to extraordinary levels.