Fourteen years ago, Mom sent me her family recipe for Gooseberry Fool. Foolishly, I waited over a decade to give it a try. I also tweaked the ingredients a bit based on other recipes on the internet (and on Mom’s memory that the Fool she ate as a kid was thickened with an egg).
The recipe I used:
- 1.5 cups of gooseberries, washed but with the stems and tails still on (plus a few raspberries)
- a bit of water
- 1 Tablespoon of sugar
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup whipped cream (ours was homemade, but I assume you could use the stuff in the can)
Cook the gooseberries and sugar over medium heat with just enough water so they don’t burn. Once the berries burst, remove them from the heat and send them through a foley mill (or use another method to get rid of the skins and most of the seeds).
In a separate container, mix the milk and egg well. Pour the eggy-milk mixture into the gooseberry puree and return to the heat, stirring constantly until it bubbles and thickens.
Cool the new mixture completely, then stir in whipped cream. Top with a raspberry if you have any left.
Then it was time for the taste test.
Anna: “It’s okay, but I like the raw berries better.”
Mark (who’s only so-so on raw gooseberries but hates to complain about food I put in front of him): “Hm. It’s… Um… Did you say there’s also the option of chocolate cake?”
I guess there’s a reason Gooseberry Fool isn’t a mainstream recipe any more…