Falling in Love with Fruit

My name is Lisa, and I was a chocoholic. In fact, if there wasn't chocolate involved, I didn't consider it a real dessert.

But that was before last year's co-op bounty started expanding my horizons. I made cherry clafoutis, plum crisp, grilled peaches with honey. And now, I've found my ultimate fruit dessert, courtesy of Epicurious.com—a totally wonderful variation on strawberry shortcake—a buttermilk cake filled with mascarpone whipped cream and topped with liqueur-mascerated berries.

I've done my own take on it, though. In lieu of the sherry, I used amaretto (divine!)—and the first time I made it, I used ricotta cheese instead of mascarpone, which I couldn't find in the grocery store. And I use whatever berries I can find: One time ruby-red strawberries, another a mix of blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. And either way, it's perfectly divine. The buttermilk cake was wonderfully light and moist, the mascarpone filling the right amount of sweet, and the berries like sweet, vibrant jewels on top. Make this for your next dinner party (or your next just-because event). You won't be sorry.