Yes, it is for real! Fool is the name of a British dessert, made with cream and fruit. That simple! The fruit of choice is usually gooseberry, but I believe any fruit would work beautifully in a fool recipe. If you have never heard of a fruit fool, you are in for a treat with today’s strawberry fool dessert. It is the most simple thing you can prepare when you run out of dessert ideas. The best part is that you can use any seasonal fruit to make your own fruit fool, like blackberry fool, raspberry fool, rhubarb fool, blueberry fool, lemon fool, orange fool, mixed berry fool, peach fool, mango fool etc to name a few!
WHAT IS A FRUIT FOOL?
The classic British fruit fool is made by folding pureed stewed fruits with custard. In the modern version, cream is often used in lieu of custard. A little history: Foole is first mentioned as a dessert in 1598 (together with trifle), although the origins of gooseberry fool may date back to the 15th century. The earliest recipe for fruit fool dates to the mid 17th century. Why the word “fool” is used as the name of this fruit dessert is not clear. Several authors derive it from the French verb fouler meaning “to crush” or “to press” (in the context of pressing grapes for wine), but this derivation is dismissed by the Oxford English Dictionary as baseless and inconsistent with the early use of the word. {Source: Wiki}
WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS TO MAKE STRAWBERRY FOOL?
To make this strawberry fool recipe, you will need
Strawberries Lemon juice Sugar Whipped cream
You can go the traditional route, and make custard instead. For an eggless custard, simply used store-bought vanilla custard powder.
HOW DO YOU MAKE STRAWBERRY FOOL?
There are a couple of ways you can make this dessert, either by layering or folding in the pureed fruit with the cream. Pick one that is convenient for you. Either way, it will taste great! Option1: Make a strawberry compote, by reducing down the strawberries with sugar, lemon juice, zest and vanilla extract. Option 2: Skip the compote, and macerate the strawberries by combining them with sugar, and lemon juice. Option 3: Blend the strawberries with a sweetener, and lemon juice. I went in with the first option, i.e. making a strawberry compote. I love how the strawberry flavor is concentrated when it is reduced down. It elevates a simple dessert like this to a whole new level. And since there’s really nothing much to this strawberry fool recipe, I think it is worth that extra step. You can make the strawberry compote a day in advance, and refrigerate it. Then simply assemble it with homemade whipped cream, or store-bought whipped cream. To make this a no-cook recipe, go in for options 2 or 3. You pick and decide! For now, let’s continue with this rather simple strawberry and cream dessert recipe.
DO CHECK OUT THESE LAYERED DESSERTS TOO,
Mango Parfait Fruit custard with jelly Banana pudding parfait Serradura (Portuguese sawdust pudding)
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE STRAWBERRY FOOL
Step 1: Make the strawberry compote.
In a saucepan or skillet, combine chopped strawberries with sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Mix well, and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. The strawberries will release their juices. Turn on the heat, bring the strawberry mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Cook until the strawberries begin to soften (mash the strawberries with a wooden ladle) and juices reduce to a thick, syrupy liquid (about 10 minutes). Remove the pan from heat, transfer to a bowl, let it cool down completely.
Step 2: Making the whipped cream
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment/or use a hand blender, add in the chilled heavy cream, beat on medium-high speed until it forms soft peaks.
Step 3: Assembling the strawberry fool
layer some strawberry compote at the bottom of the serving glass or jar, followed by a layer of whipped cream. Make as many layers as you’d like, finishing with the strawberry compote as the last layer. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with chopped strawberries! Enjoy!
NOTE 1.For another variation, skip the cream or custard and make strawberry fool with yogurt or sour cream instead. 2.Instead of layering, you can fold the compote in the whipped cream and serve it that way.
HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY FOOL?
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