Fool, yes we are all fools for summer produce, but this Fool is a English dessert Donna introduced to us and yes, we LOVE it. Fool can be made with a variety of fruits and at the most base level is whipped cream (or perhaps custard) folded together with fruit (pureed, stewed, crushed or fresh). Easy and elegant, and delicious. Black currant is one of our favorite combos as the whipped cream balances the tartness of the black currants but still lets the flavor shine through. Try it…you’ll love it.
Ingredients
- Heavy Cream — do it right, use good cream. We recommend Strafford or Butterworks, but Kimball Brook is also good.
- Maple Syrup
- Black Currants (fresh or frozen)
- A few mint leaves for topping is nice, but not necessary.
Directions
1 – First make the Black Currant Coulis (puree)
Rinse currants and pick out any additional stems you can easily get, then put currants in small pot with a bit of maple syrup. Less than 1 Tablespoon syrup per 2 cups of currants. More or less depending on if you want it tarter or sweeter. You can always add more syrup at the end.
Put on medium heat and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until currants soften and burst their skins. Turn off and puree with an immersion blender if you have one, it is the easiest way, or transfer to food processor or blender to puree. Taste and add more syrup if you want it sweeter. It is now ready for fool or yogurt or ice cream or seltzer. If you don’t like the seeds in there you can send it through a sieve, but we find the seeds not objectionable.
The coulis can be stored in fridge for week or more and it also freezes really well.
2 – Whip the cream
Whip amount of cream you need to stiff peaks. When cream is nearly done (at soft peaks) add some maple syrup, for bonus taste and sweetness.
3 – Assemble Fool
Fold black currant puree gently into the whipped cream. You can leave it streaked or fold it in more evenly. Add more coulis for more vibrant flavor. Per cup of cream that gets whipped, we probably use 1/4-1/2 cup of Black currant coulis. But add some and then taste.
Dollop fool into serving dish and if you are feeling fancy add a mint leaf and a whole currant and/or drizzle a tad bit of coulis on top.
Eat and enjoy. It is an amazingly light dessert.