~The Vintage Vegetarian~ Gooseberry Fool

Time for another edition of my Vintage Vegetarian series! I haven't done one of these in ages, so I thought it would be fun to try out a Victorian dessert. I've managed to pull a muscle in my hip and have thus been super grouchy the last few days. The combination of shooting pain whenever I try to move and an inability to sew (I sew standing up, with most of my weight on the side I've injured) has left me grumpy and craving something sweet to lighten my spirits. I had some frozen gooseberries in the freezer, so when I stumbled across this recipe for gooseberry fool I knew it was perfect!

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 Gooseberry Fool

From: Practical vegetarian cookery (1897)

The original recipe

My initial thoughts

Sounds yummy! And easy. I like easy, yummy recipes. I may have to make a couple changes though... I try not to eat regular sugar, but swapping that with honey shouldn't have a large impact on the final result. I'm also going to halve the recipe since I only have about half the amount of cream required. Not sure why the original recipe says cream or milk? You can't really whip milk....

The Ingredients

(Makes approximately 6 servings)

• 1/2 lb green gooseberries, with stems removed (I'm using frozen, but fresh would work better)
• 1/4 cup honey or sugar
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp cornstarch (optional)

Cooking Instructions

1. Mix the gooseberries and honey with the water in a sauce pan. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until the fruit has softened.
2. Pulp the mixture through a sieve (I used one with fairly large holes. This steps is mainly to remove the seeds and skins).
3. If the pulp is too watery, add 1/4 tsp of cornstarch to the liquid and bring to a boil while constantly stirring. 
4. Set gooseberry mixture aside to cool, while whipping the cream until it has thickened to firm peaks.
5. Mix the cream and gooseberries together, stirring well to incorporate. Serve immediately. 

The Result

SOOOOOooooOOooOOOooooooo delicious!!!! It has the consistency of pudding,  but is incredibly light and delicate. The airy texture is perfectly matched with the sweetness, which is neither too overpowering nor too light to balance the tartness of the gooseberries. The taste is reminiscent of something served at a fancy summer garden party. I will definitely be making this again, especially if I have a tea party or some other suitably elegant occasion.

This could also easily be made vegan by swapping the cream with 2 cups of dairy-free whipped topping. It probably taste amazing if made with coconut "whipped cream". 

Let me know if there's any type of recipe you want me to try next, or a specific ingredient (or alternatively a recipe that doesn't include a certain ingredient, such as dairy, eggs, etc). Hope everyone is having a great week!

That's All.