Blackberries and peaches in sweet basil syrup with cornmeal pound cake
Instructions:
- Combine the sugar, water, and wine in a medium saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Use the tip of the knife to scrape out the seeds, add them to the pan, and drop in the bean pod. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the basil and lemon juice. Cool to room temperature. Strain the syrup into a large bowl.
- Add the blackberries and peaches, cover, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. The basil flavor gets stronger each day.
- To serve, place slices of cake in shallow serving bowls or soup plates. Spoon the fruit and a little of the syrup over the cake and serve soon, before the cake gets too soggy.
- What else works? You can replace the peaches with other stone fruit, such as nectarines, plums, or apricots, or with a mixture of fruit. It’s also nice with all blackberries. You can use 1⁄4 cup finely chopped fresh rosemary in place of the basil.