EARLY FRUITS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 247, 9 January 1928, Page 4

EARLY FRUITS

BY ROSMUND The early fruit is certainly very welcome. So when the little green-tufted gooseberires come in we rush to our Cookery Books to help us make the best use of them with an unusual thrill of pleasure. It is not, however, only the unripe gooseberry that is useful; right to the end of their season this humble fruit helps us out. Ripe gooseberries are excellent cooked for the table; they make a full-flavoured preserve, and a wine that has “more to it” than that made from the green berry, although green gooseberry wine is well worth while for its sparkling qualities. Also, eaten raw, especially when freshly gathered, it is a fruit that should be more popular than it is—it deserves to be. Our present concern is with the first fruits of the year. To save even more time with regard to their use, here are a few recipes. Gooseberry Puree, used in this recipe, is made by stewing the berries in a jar set in a saucepan of water. They should have very little water added to them and a squeeze of lemon juice. The sugar, to taste, should be added when the fruit is practically cooked. When it is tender and cool, rub through a hair sieve. Gooseberry Cream.—Half a pint of gooseberry puree, half a pint of custard, one gill of cream, a few drops of green colouring, sugar to taste, one ounce of gelatine. Set aside the custard to cool. Dissolve the gelatine into the gooseberry puree and carefully mix with the custard. Stir in the cream whipped and sweetened, add a few drops of colouring and just as it begins to set pour into a wet mould, or into small individual moulds as preferred. Serve with whipped cream. Gooseberry Fool.—One pint of gooseberry puree, half a pint of whipped and sweetened cream (or one gill of ci'eam and one gill of custard). Mix them well together a few minutes before serving. Pour into small glasses, and decorate with a star of whipped cream on the top of each glass, and a sprinkling of chopped pistachio nuts. A teaspoonful of kirsch mixed in with the gooseberries and cream is a great improvement, although ''not imperative. Indeed a “dash” of kirsch. maraschino, sherry or rum, add considerably to the interest of all dishes where gooseberries figure, the fruit having a winelike flavour which is thus emphasised. Gooseberry Pudding.—One pint of gooseberry puree, three eggs, one tablespoonful of butter, one breakfastcupful of cake or bread crumbs. Line the sides of a pie-dish with puff pastry, Covering the rim and decorating the edge with a knife. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the puree, one ounce of sugar, the yolks of the eggs, beaten, and the crumbs. Stir until the mixture thickens without boiling; when cool pour into the pie-dish. Bake in a quick oven first, for the sake of the pastry, then slowly until the mixture sets. Whisk up the whites of the eggs with one ounce of sugar until very stiff, cover the pudding and return to the oven for a few minutes, only. Serve very quickly. Green Gooseberry Jam.—Weigh arid bruise the fruit slightly, boil it for seven minutes keeping it well turned during the time, then to every three pounds of gooseberries add two and a-half of sugar beaten to powder, and boil the preserves quickly for threequarters of an hour. It must be constantly stirred and carefully cleared from scum. This makes a firm preserve of a refreshing flavour if the fruit is rubbed through a sieve before the sugar is added and is thus more wholesome than if the skins are left whole. If well reduced afterwards it can be turned into a gateap or gooseberry solid, with the of extra sugar; say three pounds or less. But even made as above the jam will be found extremely good both for eating and cooking purposes. As there are some unfortunate people who find gooseberries do not agree with them because of their acidity, it may be useful to note that a very small piece of bicarbonate of soda, added to them while cooking, greatly reduces the acid without spoiling the flavour.