Nigel Slater: Cape Gooseberry Fool

Apparently the new fruit of the moment is the pichuberry.  But it's not really new.  It's been around for a while under the aliases cape gooseberry and Peruvian groundcherry.  The marketers think pichuberry sounds more exotic.  You can probably see me rolling my eyes through your computer.  Well, this delicious little berry/cherry/whatever-you-want-to-call-it has a sharp, sour orangey flavor that mellows into something more herby or tomatilloey as you eat it.  Yeah, I'm not the only person who can't describe how the darn thing tastes.  Just make this fool of a dessert and chow down.

Cape Gooseberry Fool
Adapted from Nigel Slater

1 pound cape gooseberries
3-4 heaped tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons brandy
1¼ cups whipping cream
3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar

Crushed gingersnaps (optional)

Remove dry paper leaves from cape gooseberries. Tip them in a pan with sugar and brandy and one or two tablespoons of water, then bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes until the fruit has burst and the liquid becomes syrupy. Cool then chill. Crush with a fork.

Whip cream and powdered sugar till thick, but stop before it will stand in peaks. It should sit in soft folds. Fold in the fruit only when it is cool. It will curdle if still warm. Ripple a spoonful of lightly crushed, cooked berries through the finished fool to give a ripple effect, adding texture and interest.  Layer the cream in a dessert glass with crushed gingersnaps, if desired.

Makes 6 servings