By heck, it’s been reet warm up here in sunny South Yorkshire and to be frank I haven’t been doing much in the way of cooking – let’s change that with a Gooseberry and Rhubarb Fool.
I did have a hankering for something a bit different, something a bit fruity but not too virtuous. So having never made a gooseberry fool or even eaten gooseberries since childhood I thought I would experiment a bit and see what I came up with.
Basically a fool is stewed gooseberries folded into cream. I decided to add some rhubarb, I had a tin sat in my cupboard and although both fruits are tart a little sugar can take the edge of without overpowering the fresh punch of the fruit.
I was tempted to make a batch of oat cookies to serve with these but… well it was hot and I didn’t. Sorry.
Gooseberry and Rhubarb Fool
Ingredients
200ml water
2 tablespoons of soft brown sugar
1 teaspoon of dried cinnamon
350g fresh gooseberries
245g (drained weight) tinned rhubarb
300ml extra thick cream
So, pour the water and sugar into a saucepan and gently heat as you top and tail the gooseberries.
Add the gooseberries to the water and turn the heat up so the water is simmering enthusiastically. Keep an eye on it and as soon as the berries start to burst remove from the heat and drain.
Add the rhubarb and cinnamon and stir gently. This will be enough to break the fruit up.
Don’t be disheartened if it looks a bit of a greeny sludge. Trust me…
Leave the fruit to cool and then put it in a bowl in the fridge, if you try and add warm fruit to cream it will all go terribly wrong according to the internet. Leave it a couple of hours.
Whip the cream for a couple of minutes. It won’t thicken like double cream but it will put some air into the mixtures and give the cream a consistent texture.
Fold in the fruit, spoon into ramekins (should make 4) and chill for at least an hour before serving.
Enjoy!
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