Berry Kissel

This is a basic Russian berry sauce that I made to serve with my sweet cheese pastries, syrniki. I had looked up a recipe for it, but just had to use the berries I had on hand, so I changed it around, then added some stuff. I ended up not measuring anything, just adding ingredients to taste. So here is the procedure.

Boil the berry juice (I used blueberry) with some fresh strawberry quarters and star anise until softened. Mix together some cornstarch and sugar, then whisk in a few spoonfuls of the hot liquid. Pour this into the saucepan. Add in some frozen blueberries, fresh lemon juice, and sambuca. Simmer slowly until thickened and alcohol is cooked out, but flavor remains. 

You can make this sauce as thin or thick as you wish, simply by adding more liquid or cooking longer. Use any berries, and any spice or alcohol you wish. I liked the combination of star anise and sambuca for a slight licorice flavor.