Picked my first ever red gooseberries at teh weekend and they are still sitting forlornly on the worktop staring at me every day. I have been through all my recipe books which are useless unless I want fool, sauce or lots of hassle!!
Can anyone suggest a simple cake recipe. I did have told of a Delia Smith recipe for a simple thing where you made pastry, chucked the gooseberries on with some other stuff (?), folded over the pastry and cooked. Have tried her books I have and the internet with no joy....HELP!!!
Here you go Icy, from the website www.delia.co.uk.
A very easy one crust gooseberry pie
This American idea for making a pie is blissfully easy â€" no baking tins and no lids to be cut, fitted and fluted. It looks very attractive because you can see the fruit inside and, because there is less pastry, it's a little easier on the waistline. Perhaps one of the best treats of early summer would be to serve it with Gooseberry and Elderflower Ice Cream â€" what a combination!
Serves 6
For the shortcrust pastry:
6 oz (175 g) plain flour
11/2 oz (40 g) lard, at room temperature
11/2 oz (40 g) butter or margarine, at room temperature
1 small egg yolk
2 rounded tablespoons semolina
For the filling:
11/2 lb (700 g) gooseberries, topped and tailed
3 oz (75 g) caster sugar
For the glaze:
1 small egg white
6 sugar cubes, crushed
* Click on an ingredient to find out more
You will also need a solid baking sheet, lightly greased.
Make up the pastry by sifting the flour into a large mixing bowl, then rubbing the fats into it lightly with your fingertips, lifting everything up and letting it fall back into the bowl to give it a good airing. When the mixture reaches the crumb stage, sprinkle in enough cold water to bring it together to a smooth dough that leaves the bowl absolutely clean, with no crumbs left. Give it a little light knead to bring it fully together, then place the pastry in a polythene bag in the fridge for 30 minutes.
After that, pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C). Then roll the pastry out on a flat surface to a round of approximately 14 inches (35 cm) â€" as you roll, give it quarter turns so that it ends up as round as you can make it (don't worry, though, about ragged edges: they're fine). Now carefully roll the pastry round the rolling pin and transfer it to the centre of the lightly greased baking sheet.
To prevent the pastry getting soggy from any excess juice, paint the base with egg yolk (you'll need to cover approximately a 10 inch (25.5 cm) circle in the centre), then sprinkle the semolina lightly over this. The semolina is there to absorb the juices and the egg provides a waterproof coating.
Now simply pile the gooseberries in the centre of the pastry, sprinkling them with sugar as you go. Then all you do is turn in the edges of the pastry: if any breaks, just patch it back on again â€" it's all meant to be ragged and interesting. Brush the pastry surface all round with the egg white, then crush the sugar cubes with a rolling pin and sprinkle over the pastry (the idea of using crushed cubes is to get a less uniform look than with granulated). Now pop the pie on to the highest shelf of the oven and bake for approximately 35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm with chilled crème fraîche or ice cream.
This recipe is taken from Delia's Summer Collection.
how about rhubarb and gooseberry crumble are apple and gooseberry ithink i would be trying favourite recipes with the addition of gooseberries ;)
Gooseberries make a good sauce to go with meats, pork, duck & game.
I have a recipe for cake somewhere.........................opps no, its a gooseberry and ginger cheesecake! Never tried it meself, but heres the recipe if anyone wants to give it a go!
Makes 1 9inch cake
3 pieces stem ginger thinly sliced
50g/2oz granulated sugar
75ml/5 tbsp water
225g/8oz gooseberries
50g/2oz pack lime flavoured jelly
15g/1/2oz/1tbsp powdered gelatin
Grated rind and juice of 1/2 lemon
225g/8oz cream cheese
75g/3oz caster sugar
2 eggs separated
300ml/1/2 pint double cream
75g/3oz butter melted
175/6oz ginger biscuit crumbs
Grease and line a 9inch loose bottomed flan ring.arrange stem ginger around the base.Dissolve the gran sugar in the water in a pan, then bring to a boil, add goosegogs and simmer gently for about 15 mins until just tender. Lift goosies out of syrup and arrange in centre of the tin.
Measure syrup and make up to275ml/9fl oz with water.Return to low heat and stir in jelly until dissolved, remove from heat and leave until beginning to set. Spoon over gooseberries and chill until set.
Sprinkle gelatin over 3 tbsp of the lemon juice and leave until spongy. Stand in a bowl of hot water until dissolved.
Beat the cream cheese with the rind, caster, egg yolks gelatin and half the cream. Whip remaining cream until thick and fold into mixture. Whisk egg whites until stiff and fold in also. Spoon into tin and chill until set.
Mix together butter and crumbs, sprinkle over cheesecake, press down lightly to firm the base. Chill until firm.
Dip base of tin in hot water for a few seconds, run a knife around the edge, then turn out onto a plate.
Cor my Mum would love this one! Wish I had gooseberries growing now! :'( If anyone tries it, can you let me know if it is as good as it sounds, thanks! DP
A recipe I have for gooseberry (or blackberry) cake. Dessert goosegobs give a sweeter result.
110gr ground almonds
150gr butter
200gr Castor sugar
2 large eggs
95gr SR flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
120 ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
250gr goosegobs (or blackberries)
100gr flaked almonds
110gr light soft brown sugar
Mix 1st 8 ingredients together in food processor & pour into prepared 23cm loose bottomed tin. Place berries on top then scatter over mixed flaked almonds & brown sugar. Bake 190C (gas5) for 1 hour & leave to cool. Serve with fruit compote of 250gr fruit, 2tbsp elderflower cordial 3tbsp Castor sugar cooked 'til fruit begins to burst, cooled & chilled. Dust cake with icing sugar.
Thanks everyone although slightly shocked that I seemed unable to find the actual Delia site myself - doh! Methinks EJ's recipe is the one so going to try that out. If nothing else it will shock my wife for I normaly only cook savoury stuff!
Iain
Does anyone know if you can freeze gooseberries and if so how?
Do they need to be cooked or are they ok raw? ???
I hope you can because I am over run with the pesky things and need to store them some how, whilst I think of some thing to do with them ;D
Amazing recipes one and all, do tell if I'm going to be in the kitchen trying out these fabulous meals, do you think the plot will weed itself ;D
I have frozen most soft fruit, just as they are, placed on a try in the freezer until they are like marbles and then I bag them up in quantities that I will need in the future. ;)
I so love gooseberries, but not a single one this year, pigeons had the lot off 4 bushes worth, nets were waste of time . . :'(
Thanks Flowerlady , they are all bagged and frozen now , all six lbs of 'em. ;D
Quote from: Derekthefox on July 21, 2005, 17:54:03
I so love gooseberries, but not a single one this year, pigeons had the lot off 4 bushes worth, nets were waste of time . . :'(
What a downer Derek :(
If you are anywhere near Preston, I've loads just begging to be picked , but I already have more than I know what to do with.....re freezer. You are welcome if you want them..... :)
Travelling from coventry seems a little bit excessive eh
Shame because I would collect them all, and perhaps split the crop?
Thanks for the offer anyway!
i was given 20lbs of the things....i made gooseberry and elderflower wine, gooseberry and elderflower preserve (delia smith), gooseberry charlotte (chuck a load of the berries in the bottom of a cake tin, sprinkle with sugar and pour cake mix over the top, simple), gooseberry crumble, gooseberry fool, and the rest i gave away!
Good for you Squirrel.
These posts are killing me - my freezer packed up at Christmas and I can't afford to replace it just yet., so no freezing for me this year. :'(
Will have to make do with jam and chutney. :)
It's Allotment Jam next - there are at least 50% of the plots here not under cultivation and ALL have fruit of some kind. ;D
Looking for ward to bramble jelly and pie!! ;D