Gooseberry Crumble
Gooseberry? What are those? You either love them or hate them. Admittedly I never tasted gooseberries until I moved to the U.K. Where I grew up in California, there’s no shortage of fresh produce but gooseberries aren’t native to my home state. These little green round berries can easily be mistaken for a misshaped Thompson green grapes but hairy with spider-like veins. Gooseberries are neither juicy or sweet like grapes, but tart when eaten raw – so tart that you can’t help to quint your eyes. So what’s to love about gooseberries? A lot, especially in the quintessential British dessert: the humble gooseberry crumble.
Gooseberries come into season in June and July right before the peak of strawberry season. It’s not surprising to find them in my weekly Oddbox veg and fruit box delivery. It is rare for me to buy gooseberries at the local market, to be honest.
I tried a raw gooseberry when unpacking my Oddbox, the first time in many years. Then I remembered exactly why I never buy them. It’s one of those seasonal fruits that cannot be enjoyed in its raw form. However, late season gooseberries turn in colour to a red with the summer sunshine and are sweeter which can be enjoyed raw.
Like rhubarb and quince, these little gooseberries take some work, namely adding sugar and heat to mellow out the tartness so the lovely flavours can come out. That said, these little hairy berries are perfect for my summer crumble with custard for an easy summer dessert.
Tips:
Top and tail: Unless you plan on sieving these little gooseberries after cooking them, then you’ll need to “top and tail” meaning the tough stems and flower end must be cut off, then thoroughly washed and rinsed. Given the small size of gooseberries and the quantity you are working with, this can be a tedious task.
Ratio sugar/gooseberries: It is recommended to use 100 g of sugar for every kilo of gooseberry. Add an extra dose of sugar to help mellow out the acidity so has the perfect tartness/sweetness proportion. Then cook over low heat until the gooseberries collapse.
Other dessert ideas: Gooseberries are naturally high in pectin which makes for an easy jam for your afternoon scones and tea. Gooseberry Fool is another simple, yet elegant dessert made of luscious cream served with some biscuits.
Enjoy the best of British summer with this delicious gooseberry crumble.
Gooseberry Crumble
Ingredients
GOOSEBERRY FILLING
- 560 g of gooseberries washed, topped and tailed
- 100 g of brown granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
CRUMBLE TOPPING
- 125 g of muscovado sugar
- 85 g of ground almonds
- 250 g of flour
- 125 g of butter cold
- 40 g of flaked almonds
- 35 g of hazelnuts
- nutmeg freshly grated to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Place the gooseberries, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon in an ovenproof dish.
- In a large bowl, rub together the sugar, ground almonds and flour until you have a mixture resembling fine breadcrumbs. Set aside.
- Dice the butter and rub into the flour and sugar mixture until it resembles coarse and chunky breadcrumbs.
- Add the flaked almonds, hazelnuts and nutmeg and mix together. Cover the gooseberries with the crumble mixture.
- Place in the oven for approximately 20 minutes. The crumble should be golden brown and the filling should be bubbling when ready.
- Serve with custard or whipped cream.
Notes
