Old English Recipe for Sweet Gooseberry Fool

Growing Gooseberries for an Old-Time Traditional Country Dessert

Aug 18, 2009 Lorraine Syratt

Gooseberries are a sweet delight in English cookery. They are easy plants to grow and once harvested can be used in a number of dishes including gooseberry fool.

The gooseberry bush is thick with thorns, but the berry itself is sweet and worth the odd little jab when harvesting. Gooseberries are beloved by the British.

Growing the Gooseberry

Gooseberries grow best in cooler temperate climates and there are many varieties that are hardy to zone 3. This is a perfect bush to grow along fence rows as it can reach several feet in height and will add privacy to the garden.

It's best to obtain stock from reputable nurseries. Gooseberries are prone to viruses, so mulch the planting beds, give them an airy location and avoid digging near the base of the plants.

When harvesting the gooseberry, it's best to wear heavy leather gloves, due the prickles. With gloves on hand, run that hand along the stem and catch the berries into a bowl or other container. Leaves can be picked out later.

The gooseberry is easy to maintain, but netting may be necessary for two reasons.

1. The gooseberry can be affected by a sudden frost after the buds have broken, so it's best to keep them covered until the last expected frost date in the gardeners location.
2. Over the winter birds pick at the buds, damaging the shape of the bush and the grower could loose her crop. She won't be able to make her "gooseberry fool."

An English Country Recipe for Gooseberry Fool

In English cookery a fool is not the court jester, but a pudding made of scalded fruit and cream. Gooseberry fool is an old English country dessert. Unlike raspberries, strawberries and blackberries, gooseberries need to be cooked briefly to soften the outer skin.

Ingredients

• 1 lb cleaned gooseberries
• 1-1/2 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 cup whipping cream

Directions

1. Place the gooseberries in a shallow pan with 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of the sugar.
2. Heat slowly and covered until the gooseberries have softened to make a puree.
3. When they are soft enough, use a fork to lightly mash the berries.
4. Add the remaining sugar and cook uncovered until the gooseberry puree is soft and thick and a little wet. The whole process should take no more than a few minutes. (This puree is a lovely jam with cream tea as a replacement for the traditional strawberry jam.)
5. Whisk the whipping cream with 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water. Be sure to stop whisking while it's still soft or the whipping cream could become butter.
6. Place the Whipping Cream and the gooseberry puree into a serving bowl and lightly fold the puree into the cream.

This is very sweet dessert and will serve 6 people.

References

• The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, Organic Garden Magazine, Rodale Press, 1978
• Reader's Digest Encyclopaedia of Plants and Flowers, Reader's Digest, 1985

The copyright of the article Old English Recipe for Sweet Gooseberry Fool in Baking & Desserts is owned by Lorraine Syratt. Permission to republish Old English Recipe for Sweet Gooseberry Fool in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Gooseberries Ready for Gooseberry Fool

What do you think about this article?

---

NOTE: Because you are not a Suite101 member, your comment will be moderated before it is viewable.

post your comment

What is 5+8?