Hello my fellow foodies and welcome to another recipe
This month I am hoping for a glut of soft fruit from the garden. In particular I have my eye on the gooseberries bushes and I have my finger crossed for a good harvest this year. In years past crumbles, compote and chutneys have all be well received but Gooseberry Fool is always a firm favourite.
This recipe yields four “polite” sized portions, so you will need four individual serving glasses.
• 250g Fresh Gooseberries (topped and tailed)
• 20g Caster Sugar
• 50mls Elderflower Cordial
• 1 egg yolk from free running, healthy hens
• 1/2 tsp Cornflour
• 75ml Milk
• 1/4 tsp Vanilla Paste
• 15g Caster Sugar
• 75ml Double Cream
Let’s begin by cooking the gooseberries in a pan, with the Elderflower Cordial and 20g (or less if you are looking for a sharper flavour) of caster sugar.
Gently heat up the gooseberries until they begin to soften. At this point you may wish to scoop four whole gooseberries from the pan and set aside for decorating the finished deserts. Gently cook the fruit until it reduces to a soft pulp, then leave to cool.
While this is happening we can make the custard part of the dessert, so, in a pan gently heat the milk until just below boiling. While the milk is heating, in a heat proof bowl pop the cornflour, egg yolk, vanilla paste and caster sugar and mix to a smooth paste. Pour the hot milk onto the paste and mix thoroughly. Return this to the heat and stir continuously until the mixture thickens- take care not to boil or you will end up with scrambled egg! Now leave the custard to cool. To prevent a skin from forming as the custard cools, lay grease-proof paper directly on to the surface of the custard while it is hot. Some people sprinkle a layer of sugar on to the hot custard’s surface but this may result in over sweetening the custard. In the Le Fey house there is always a fight for the skin but I accept this is not a battle in everyone’s house!
When both the custard and the gooseberries are cold, whip the cream to soft peaks. Next, into each of the four serving glasses pop a spoonful of the cooked gooseberry mixture. Now add the remaining gooseberry mixture to the custard and gently swirl together, you don’t have to completely combine as swaths of the two mixtures looks attractive. Now add the whipped cream, again swirls of the fruit, custard and cream looks attractive, but if you wish to combine the mixture completely the choice is yours. All that remains is for the fool to be spooned on top of the cooked gooseberries in the serving glasses and to decorate with the reserved whole gooseberries. You may choose to chill before serving but I prefer room temperature to enjoy the full flavour of the fruit.
Other fruits and flavour combinations can be used if Gooseberry and Elderflower are not to your liking, rhubarb and orange is always popular in our house, blackberry and apple, spiced plum, strawberry and lime, summer fruits, raspberry and coconut… the list is limited only by your imagination!
Until next time dear reader…
