Chef Hermes

A collection of Gooseberry recipes.

Posted by Chef Hermes on July 24, 2013 · Comments Off 

Tis the time of year when the soft fruit scene in the UK irrupts. Many will blog about how great the strawberries & raspberries are this year, but I’d like to concentrate on some gooseberry recipes.

Often seen as being far to tart for its own good, the humble gooseberry is far more versatile than many might think. Who’d have thought that partnering gooseberries, with oily fish such a Mackerel was such a good idea? Try it, you’ll be pleasantly surprised; then there is the jelly recipe below, a pretty good foil for a rich Duck & Foie gras terrine.

For other recipes, featuring Elderflowers, which are quite prevalent at the moment, see the Simply Elderflowers post from last year.

Gooseberry Vinegar

• 300g Gooseberries
• 1.2L Water
• Demerara sugar

Crush the gooseberries in a bowl until they are all burst. I’ve used the end of my neoprene rolling pin, if you were wondering what it was in the pictures.

Clingfilm and leave at room temperature for 24 hours, then strain all the fruit out & discard.

To this liquid add the sugar, you’ll require 110g per every 1.2L of juice.

Bottle in a sterilised jar & allow to ferment. After the fermentation process is complete (about 2-3 weeks), syphon off the liquid into another sterilised bottle.

Gooseberry Jam

•  200g Gooseberries
• 250g Jam making sugar (more on this here: Ingredients: Sugar page
• 80ml Water

Combine the fruit & water in a thick bottomed pan, and on a medium low heat bring to the boil & simmer for 20minutes, or until the fruit starts to burst.

Add the jam sugar, dissolve into the liquid and bring to the boil, skim and scum off the surface. Test in the usual jam way (chilled plate in the freezer, add a dab of jam, done if sets).

Pass into a sterilised jar, put the lid on & then ‘cook’ again in a pressure cooker for 10 mins. Let cool of own accord before storing.

Gooseberry Jelly

Fill the heat proof jar with slightly under ripe gooseberries and add about 100ml of water before sealing. Place the jar in a deep pan of water so it comes up the sides. Bring the water up to a simmer.

When the gooseberries are cooked, this should take about two hours, remove from the water bath and strain through a muslin. Measure the liquid and for every 600ml of juice add 500g of sugar.

Bring the juice to the boil & skim for 8-10 minutes, test in the traditional jam making way. Remove the muslin bag after approximately 4 minutes. Pour into a jam jar to be stored in the fridge.

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