Blackberry pizza sauce

Method

1. Put the blackberries in a small pot over low heat. Cover and warm gently for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the berries collapse and release juice. Do not let them catch.
2. Blend until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve if you want a seedless sauce. Return it to the clean pot and stir in the salt and 6 g sugar or honey.
3. Simmer very gently, stirring often, only until reduced to about 90 g. It should coat a spoon but still spread easily; reducing it to jam would make the fruit too sweet and sticky.
4. Cool completely. Taste and add the final 4 g sweetener only if the berries are sharply sour. Spread the full 90 g over one 30 cm pizza.

Notes

• The target is moisture control, not jam. A line drawn through the sauce should stay open for about 2 seconds, then slowly close.
• Refrigerate promptly in a sealed container and use within 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
• Frozen berries work directly from frozen but may need a few extra minutes to reach the 90 g final yield. Weighing the finished sauce is more reliable than timing the reduction.

Sources consulted

• Christoph Mayer’s house method is the primary source: gently heat, blend, season with salt and only a little sugar or honey, then reduce just enough for pizza.
• National Center for Home Food Preservation, Freezing Blackberries or Dewberries was consulted for blackberry selection and freezing context.