GRILLED POUND CAKE WITH CHAMPAGNE BERRIES

This is a down-home dessert with a sophisticated twist. Slathering pound cake with butter and grilling it might be the only thing you could ever do to make pound cake better. Feel free to mix up the berries in this recipe with whatever looks the freshest.

8 ounces raspberries

8 ounces blackberries

4 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 cup champagne

1 cup heavy cream

1 (16-ounce) loaf pound cake

¼ cup (½ stick) butter, melted

Place the raspberries and blackberries in a medium bowl, and toss them with 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Pour the champagne over the berries, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place the cream in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and continue beating just until the sugar is mixed in. Refrigerate the whipped cream until you are ready to serve it.

Slice the pound cake into 1-inch slices. Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Brush the cake slices with the melted butter, and grill the slices for about 2 minutes per side, until grill marks are formed. Remove the slices from the grill, and top each cake slice with the berries and whipped cream.

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS.