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Gooseberry Fool

I pint gooseberries 1/2 pint (2 cups) boiled I teaspoonful lemon juice custard I gill (1/2 cup) water 2 tablespoonfuls cream 2 ozs. (4 tablespoonfuls) sugar Wash, top and tail the gooseberries, and put them into a saucepan with the water and sugar; stew them until they are tender and soft. Rub through a fine sieve with a wooden spoon, not a metal spoon as it injures the flavor and color.

When the custard is cold, stir it into the gooseberry purée, add the lemon juice, the cream and, if necessary, more sugar. Serve either in one large glass dish or in custard glasses, having it as cold as possible.

Two crumbled lady fingers are a nice addition to this dish. If more convenient the cream may be omitted, or, if wished, only cream used, and no custard.

Rhubarb fool is made in exactly the same way, using eight sticks of peeled rhubarb in place of the gooseberries.

Strawberry fool is made by merely rubbing the ripe strawberries through a sieve and adding a few drops of red color. Do not cook the fruit.

Gooseberry fool is at all times popular, but it is best when made with fresh fruit.

The name of this dish often puzzles people.

This is an example of the degeneration of a foreign kitchen term, a corruption which has destroyed the descriptive meaning. Originally the qualifying adjective was written foulé, because the stewed gooseberries were crushed before being mixed with the cream. In old French ménus the dish is given as "Groseilles foulés."

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