Gooseberry Fools and Other Fruits

Some cooks don’t stew the fruit, but mix chopped fruit with the sugar and put in the refrigerator for an hour or more. Others use a blender or food processor. Whatever your style, I think you’ll find this dessert delicious.

A traditional recipe looks something like this.

• 3 cups pink or green gooseberries (about 1 pound)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup well-chilled heavy cream

Some recipes also add

 1/4 cup crème fraîche

1 Tbsp. orange or berry liqueur

Crushed graham crackers for a topping

Rinse the berries. Remove the stems and cut berries in half. Cook in a skillet with the sugar until a syrup forms. Mash the berries to make a puree. Set in the refrigerator to cool. Whip the cream until stiff. Add remaining ingredients and fold until well mixed. The dessert may be made ahead and chilled for up to three hours

For a fancy touch, serve in wine glasses. . You can serve it with crushed graham crackers and a few berries on top. It's also good with homemade shortbread. 

Fools can be made with other fruit, including raspberries, strawberries and even apples as well. I was just given some blueberries that were so sour that they made me shiver. I used them to make the syrup with the sugar. I didn't have any cream but I did have some soy milk that had been given to me. I found the soy milk is very sweet so I just used that instead of the cream. It was more of a cold fruit soup rather than a real fool but it was good, I used up the sour berries and got a bit of vitamins too.

Next I'm trying out those sliced apples that have been languishing in the refrigerator.