I love the visual aspect of these delightful English creams. They look very striking and are so easy to make. The classic fool is a combination of crushed, mashed or pureed fruit, sugar and whipped cream. As fruits have varying degrees of sweetness, there is no exact measurement for the sugar. Just add enough to sweeten to your liking.
Fruits such as rhubarb and gooseberries should be cooked to a pulp in a little water first, then sweetened and left to cool. Ripe berries and soft fruits need no cooking. If you like a little texture in the fool, don't sieve the fruit puree. I like to sieve anything with a lot of seeds, such as raspberries and blackcurrants, but mango, kiwi, papaya, etc. all work well just mashed to a pulp.
Ingredients:
For the colored sugar (optional)
Fruits such as rhubarb and gooseberries should be cooked to a pulp in a little water first, then sweetened and left to cool. Ripe berries and soft fruits need no cooking. If you like a little texture in the fool, don't sieve the fruit puree. I like to sieve anything with a lot of seeds, such as raspberries and blackcurrants, but mango, kiwi, papaya, etc. all work well just mashed to a pulp.
Ingredients:
- 125ml/4fl oz fruit puree or pulp (you can use a blender or a food processor for this; a blender will give a smoother texture)
- caster sugar to taste (for the fruit)
- 250ml/9fl oz double cream
- icing sugar to taste (for the cream)
- fresh fruit, to decorate
For the colored sugar (optional)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 250g/9oz granulated sugar
- 50ml/2fl oz water
- a little powdered food coloring (available in cake decorating shops)
Preparation
Sieve the puree to remove seeds, if you like, then add enough caster sugar to sweeten and mix well. Whip the cream to soft peaks, being careful not to over whip it. Sweeten with icing sugar if desired and use to fill a piping bag fitted with a 1cm/ ½ inch nozzle. Place about 1 ½ tablespoons of the fruit puree in each of 6 serving glasses. Place the piping bag in each glass so the nozzle is nearly touching the puree. Now squeeze the bag; as you do so, it will push the puree to the edge of the glass and create a spiral effect of cream and fruit puree. As the glass fills with cream, lift the bag towards the top of the glass, stopping when it is nearly full. Chill the fools in the fridge for an hour. Decorate with fresh fruit or colored sugar, if liked, and serve with any remaining fruit puree.
For the colored sugar, lightly oil a nonstick baking mat with the vegetable oil. Put the sugar and water in a small, heavy-based pan, stir well, then heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Put a sugar thermometer in the pan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Boil until the mixture reaches the hard-crack stage (150-155°C/300-310°F). While it is boiling, clean the sides of the pan 4 or 5 times with a clean pastry brush dipped in cold water, running the brush around the edges of the pan to keep it free from sugar crystals that might fall back into the sugar and cause the caramel to crystallize. When it reaches the required temperature, remove the pan from the heat and place on a pot-holder to cool slightly.
Using a small paintbrush, very lightly dab little specks of powdered food coloring on to the mat. Pour the slightly cooled sugar syrup on to the mat over the color to create a thin layer of sugar, which should look like glass. Do not allow the sugar to cool so much that it thickens before you pour it. It should flow in a thin layer over the color. Leave to cool and then break it into pieces to decorate the fools.
Chef Clark's Notes
- For the best results, use fruit that is in season and as ripe as possible.
- Honey can be used to sweeten the cream instead of icing sugar, or you could add a little white wine or fruit-based liqueur for a dinner party dessert.
Source: INDULGE: 100 Perfect Desserts, by Chef Claire Clark
