Serves 4

Gooseberry and elderflower fool recipe

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Takes 25 minutes to make, plus cooling and chilling

500g gooseberries
100g caster sugar
2 strips pared lemon zest
2 heads elderflower (optional)
3 tbsp elderflower cordial, or to taste
142ml pot double cream
150ml fresh ready-made custard
Sponge finger biscuits, to serve

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1. Put the gooseberries into a saucepan (there is no need to top and tail them) with 2 tablespoons of the sugar, the lemon zest, and the elderflower heads, if using. Cook over a low heat until the juices start to run from the gooseberries, then cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the berries are soft. Remove and discard the elderflower heads and add the rest of the sugar. Turn the heat up a little and cook for 4-5 minutes to reduce the liquid a little. Remove from the heat when it’s just beginning to catch on the bottom of the pan. Leave to go cold.
2. Remove and discard the lemon zest from the pan. Rub the fruit through a sieve into a large mixing bowl and stir in the elderflower cordial, to taste.
3. In another bowl, whip the cream until it just starts to form soft peaks. Carefully fold the custard into the gooseberry purée, followed by the cream, so that the mixture is nicely marbled. Spoon into 4 serving glasses and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with the sponge fingers.

Nutritional info

Per serving: 386kcals, 21.3g fat (13g saturated), 3.7g protein, 47g carbs, 43.9g sugar, 0.1g salt

Chef's tip

Elderflowers start to appear in early June, so if you have access to some, add 2 large heads to the gooseberries while they are cooking. Then adjust the amount of cordial to taste, adding it once the mixture has cooled down. It is important that the gooseberry purée, custard and whipped cream are all of the same consistency, so that they combine nicely into a soft, green cloud.

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