Michelle Darmody: No joke — gooseberries are great for making fools, tarts and muffins

Gooseberry and apple muffins are a perfect breakfast treat. 

Gooseberries are not just for jam. I love the old-world feel of a gooseberry tart or a gooseberry fool. They sound like something from another era or from an old storybook. These round and slightly furry berries seem to have fallen out of favour in recent years and can be hard to get in shops, which is a real shame.

Gooseberries can be tart, and can vary in sweetness greatly, so you should taste your berries and adjust your recipe by adding a little more honey or sugar — whichever the recipe requires. Elderflower pairs well with gooseberry and by using a cordial you add a little sweetness to the berry.

The name gooseberry was acquired as they were the traditional accompaniment to goose at the table. A sauce was made with the berries and it was then served alongside the rich roasted goose meat.

The bushes are ideally suited to growing in the Irish climate. Their scraggy and thorny branches giving a wealth of fruit throughout the summer. If you have too many to bake with you can pop them in the freezer until later. I usually top and tail them before freezing as it makes it them easier to use once defrosted.

Gooseberry tart

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

Gooseberries are in season during high summer and this delicate tart with a hint of elderflower cordial showcases them to perfection

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 1 hours 15 mins

Cooking Time

 35 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 50 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• For the pastry:

• 225g flour

• 140g cold butter, cubed

• 55g caster sugar

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• ½ tbsp of milk for sealing

• For the filling:

• 450g gooseberries

• 100g light brown sugar

• 1 tbsp elderflower cordial

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C and line the base of a 9-inch tart tin with parchment. Grease and flour the edges.

2. Toss the gooseberries, sugar, and cordial together and set aside.

3. Roll your pastry to about 3mm in thickness and cut a disc bigger than your tin. Gently sit the disc into the tin and allow it to fall into place. Do not stretch it too much as this will lead to it shrinking during baking. Roll another disc to top the apple tart and set it aside.

4. Place the gooseberry mixture into the pastry base. Lay the other disc on top.

5. Brush the edges of the tart base with milk and seal the top and base by pinching around the edges. Make a slit in the centre of the tart.

6. Bake for about 30-35 minutes until the pastry is golden and the mixture inside is bubbling.

Gooseberry fool

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

Gooseberries and yoghurt make a deliciously rich and creamy summertime dessert

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 15 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 200g gooseberries, topped and tailed

• 2 tbsp honey

• 100ml natural yoghurt

• 1 tbsp icing sugar, sieved

• 220ml cream, stiffly whipped

Method

1. Place the gooseberries and honey into a heavy-based saucepan over a low heat and warm gently until the gooseberries begin to burst. Set aside to cool.

2. Mash the gooseberries and stir them through the yoghurt and icing sugar.

3. Gently fold in the cream.

4. Spoon into glasses and chill before serving.

Gooseberry and apple muffins

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

Ideal for breakfast and bursting with summertime fruit, these muffins are perfect for a lazy weekend in the kitchen

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 25 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 2 eggs

• 125ml olive oil

• 150ml milk

• 100ml natural yoghurt

• 175g soft brown sugar, and a little extra for sprinkling

• 400g self-raising flour

• 120g gooseberries, topped and tailed and quartered

• 1 apple, peeled, cored and sliced into 12 slices

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a muffin tin with 12 paper cases.

2. Beat the eggs, oil, milk and yoghurt together.

3. Add in the sugar and flour and combine.

4. Stir the chunks of gooseberry and scoop the mixture into your prepared paper cases.

5. Sit a slice of apple on top of each muffin, add a light sprinkle of brown sugar to the top of each muffin.

6. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin until cool enough to handle then transfer onto a wire rack.