Gooseberry And Elderflower Fool Recipes

GOOSEBERRY & ELDERFLOWER FOOL

Steps:

• Wash the gooseberries thoroughly, top and tail them, then place in a wide heavy-bottomed pan with the sugar, cordial and lemon juice. Simmer over a gentle heat until all the gooseberries have burst.
• Lightly crush with a fork, tip into a bowl to cool and chill for at least 2 hrs. This can be done up to 2 days ahead.
• Lightly whip the cream to a soft dropping consistency, then swirl in the cooked gooseberries to give a rippled effect. Spoon the fool into glasses and chill until you are ready to serve.

GOOSEBERRY FOOL

Steps:

• Put the gooseberries and sugar in a pan with a splash of water. Heat gently, stirring, then bring to a simmer and cook until the fruit starts to burst. Squash the gooseberries with a potato masher or fork until pulpy. Cool then chill until cold in the fridge.
• Put the yoghurt in a bowl and beat with the icing sugar and vanilla until smooth. Gently whisk in the cream (it will thicken as you whisk so don't overdo it). Ripple through the gooseberry pulp then spoon into pretty glasses or bowls to serve.

GOOSEBERRY FOOL

Steps:

• Place the gooseberries in a saucepan.
• Stir in the sugar and the water.
• Heat over low heat, stirring frequently, until the fruit begins to break apart. This will take between ten and fifteen minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir, breaking any remaining pieces of fruit down so that the fruit is a rough puree. Don't worry about the seeds.
• Put the gooseberry puree in a heat-proof bowl.
• Let the mixture cool and then refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 24 hours.
• Remove the gooseberry puree from the fridge. Drain away any runny liquid using a sieve.
• Stir the St Gemain liqueur or Elderflower cordial into the gooseberry puree.
• Whip the cream and the tablespoon of sugar in an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
• Whip in the yogurt.
• Fold the gooseberry puree very gently into the cream and yogurt mixture. It's okay if you can see ripples of puree.
• Spoon gently into 6 serving dishes.
• You can serve the fools immediately but it is best if you can refrigerate them for at least an hour before.
• Garnish each fool with a couple of mint leaves.
• Any leftover Gooseberry Fool will keep for about 24 hours in the fridge.

GOOSEBERRY & ELDERFLOWER JAM

Steps:

• Top and tail the gooseberries, discarding the hard ends, and place in a large saucepan. If you're using elderflowers, tie them up in a piece of muslin and secure with string, then add to the saucepan. If using cordial, add to the pan with 150ml water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the fruit is tender and has broken down nicely. Remove from the heat, squeeze any liquid out of the elderflower parcel and discard.
• Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Add the sugar and the vanilla pod and seeds to the pan and boil over a high heat for about 10 minutes, skimming off any foam that forms on the surface. Pour through a strainer into sterilised jars and leave to cool before putting sealing with the lids.

GOOSEBERRY FOOL

Steps:

• Put the gooseberries, sugar and cordial in a saucepan. Cook on a high heat until the sugar has dissolved and the fruit is soft. Remove from the heat and reserve a quarter of the cooked gooseberries.
• Blend the remaining cooked gooseberries in a blender or food processor, then sieve to remove the skins. Set aside to cool.
• Whisk the cream in a bowl until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl. Fold in the yoghurt and fold in the blended gooseberries. Divide between six glasses.
• Leave the glasses in the fridge for at least 2 hours, to allow the fool to thicken.
• To serve, spoon the remaining gooseberries over the top of the fool and decorate with the mint, if using. Serve with honey melts.