June recipe: Red berry fool

Red berry fool

Fruit fools involve combining a fruit puree with custard or whipped cream or both, and are some of the easiest desserts to make.  I’ve previously posted a recipe for gooseberry fool. This variant uses red summer berries.  The photo shows a redcurrant fool, but you can use raspberries or strawberries instead, or any combination thereof. Raspberries and strawberries need no cooking.

Red berry fool

8 oz (approx 250 g) red summer berries (redcurrants, raspberries, strawberries or a mixture)

1.5 oz (approx 40 g) sugar

5 fl. oz (approx 140ml) double cream

Wash the fruit.

Hull the strawberries and raspberries. Snip the stalks off the redcurrants.

If using redcurrants, put the fruit in a saucepan with the sugar.

Heat gently, stirring from time to time, until the sugar has dissolved, then cover the pan and simmer for a few minutes until the fruit is soft and starting to break up.

Remove from the heat and crush the fruit with a wooden spoon.  You can puree it in a food processor if you like, but I never do.  If you don’t like pips, you can sieve the puree, but I never do this either.

Leave to cool.

If using strawberries or raspberries, simply mash the fruit and mix the puree with the sugar. Again, if you don’t like pips you can sieve the puree, but I never do.

If using a mixture, mix the mashed strawberries/raspberries with the cooled redcurrant pulp.

Whip the double cream until stiff.

Stir the cooled fruit pulp into the cream.

Divide between four glasses and chill in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight before serving.

For larger portions, divide the mixture between two or three glasses instead of four.