It’s summer, so the supermarket have gooseberries. Mostly green gooseberries, although the other week they did have some gorgeous red desert ones. Anyway they need to be encouraged to these seasonal (and local) fruit and veg options, so we try to buy them when we can; hence the enjoyment of English asparagus (see many earlier posts). The supermarket also already have English plums – blimey they’re early even for Opal – so we’re on those as soon as they arrive.

Before anyone says it, no I can’t be doing with growing my own (I wish I could); if nothing else my back won’t do it. Besides gooseberries are always destroyed by sawfly; ours were at home when I was a kid, and the couple of bushes we had when we were first here were destroyed too; there really isn’t room in our garden for a fruit cage (we could have done it instead of the pond, I guess) and I won’t use “industrial” pesticides.

Anyway, back to gooseberries. Having made gooseberry tart the last couple of weeks, this week I decided to try something I’ve never done before: Gooseberry Fool. As usual I merged several recipes and then made it up as I went along. So this is how it went.

Gooseberry Fool

Serves: 4 for a normal size sweet course
Preparation: 10 minutes and 15 minutes, plus chilling
Cooking: 10 minutes

For the Gooseberries

• 300g of topped & tailed gooseberries
• 4tbsp caster sugar
• 2tbsp good Gin (or water if you want to avoid alcohol)
• 2tbsp Elderflower Cordial (optional)

For the Cream

• 220g Greek Yoghurt
• 220ml Double Cream
• 2tbsp (heaped) icing sugar (but caster sugar is OK)
• 1tsp Vanilla Extract

What to do …

1. The day before you want to eat, start by cooking the gooseberries. Having topped and tailed them, put them in a saucepan with the caster sugar, gin and elderflower cordial. Simmer gently until the fruit is soft and beginning break apart.
2. Remove from the heat and mash the fruit down a bit more with a fork. Transfer to a box and when cool fridge overnight.
3. A few hours before you need to eat, put everything together.
4. Put the yoghurt, sugar and vanilla together in a bowl and beat gently until smooth. Now gently whisk in the cream (I used a fork for all this) until everything is well mixed and the cream is beginning to thicken. Add the gooseberries, combine gently and spoon into glasses (or dishes).
5. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving with (crumbled) Amaretti.

Notes

1. Don’t worry about the gooseberry pips. Some recipes insist the gooseberries should be sieved, but in my view this is an unnecessary waste of time (and fruit goodness). You’ll hardly notice the pips in the finished product.
2. The gin and elderflower cordial add some depth of flavour, but are entirely optional. If you omit them use a couple of tablespoons of water in their place.
3. Crumbled Amoretti sprinkled on the fool makes a nice crunchy contrast.