Fools

I've been reading Darina Allen's Forgotten Skills of Cooking most evenings. Every section is a revelation. I want to try everything, from making butter to foraging for mushrooms, whipping up elderflower cordial to wild blackberry, apple and rose geranium jam.

But lest you think every recipe is a made-from-scratch complicated affair, I've also been fondly reminded of some simple country dishes. Case and point: The fool. A simple dessert of sweetened and stewed (rhubarb, gooseberries), or pureed (summer berries) seasonal fruit, swirled into whipped cream. The raspberry fool in the picture here is served with shortbread cookies. Perfection!


Instructions paraphrased from Forgotten Skills of Cooking, photography Peter Cassidy

10 comments:

  1. yum, yum, yum! this is just my type of dessert. the new(ish) donna hay has some berry desserts like this that i was drooling over the other day.

    on another note, i'd love to go mushroom hunting someday!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh my, my mouth is sufficiently watering...

    ReplyDelete
  3. YUM! Mum used to make rhubarb fool with custard. It was our favourite dessert. Maaaaan, it was divine. Served in parfait glasses with special spoons, which I assumed meant we were rich. (A child's notion of being wealthy is so much simpler!)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Somehow I've never heard of this book - sounds like a great read! I've never tried or made a fool; I'll definitely make one sometime in the near future.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mmmmmmm...

    Simplest is best, sometimes. My very favorite dessert is full fat high quality Greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkling of walnuts. There's nothing better.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You should try making a clafouti. They're super easy, totally delicious and you can use practically any fruit for them, although berries are the best. The River Cottage Cookbook has a recipe if you need one (great cookbook by the way).

    ReplyDelete
  7. I need to pick that book up! This looks delicious...

    ReplyDelete
  8. I need to pick that book up! This looks delicious...

    ReplyDelete
  9. oh yummy. i have to look into this book.
    xo

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comments!

Comments are moderated for spam, advertising, obscenity etc. Please note that your profile name links to your site/blog. Using the comment field to promote your site/blog is considered spamming.