Photo: Rosenzweig, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Dish · From Bladwijzer

Red wine and whitebeam berry sauce

Updated on 9 October 2026

• Makes: ± 4 portions
• Time: 45 min + overnight freezing
• From: Swedish whitebeam

Ingredients

• 250 g Swedish whitebeam berries, stripped from the stalks
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 200 ml red wine
• 100 ml water
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 sprig thyme
• salt and pepper

Method

1. Strip the berries from the stalks, rinse them and put them in the freezer overnight.
2. Melt the butter in a pan and soften the shallot for 3 minutes without letting it colour.
3. Add the frozen berries, red wine, water, honey and thyme and bring to the boil.
4. Simmer gently for 20–25 minutes, until the berries are completely soft and the liquid has reduced by half.
5. Take out the thyme, blend the sauce and rub it through a fine sieve. This leaves the skins and seeds behind.
6. Reheat the sauce and boil it down for 5 minutes until it thickens slightly. Season with salt, pepper and a little more honey if you like.
7. Serve hot with a game stew, roast, pâté or cheese.

Storing: A week in a closed jar in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer in small portions. The sauce is always cooked: never eat the berries themselves raw.