Regular readers (hi Mum) may remember the gooseberry fool and granita from a few weeks back. I froze way more liquid for granita than necessary. Which was superb, as it extended my hit of gooseberries far longer than expected.
And, you know what? Frozen gooseberries rock.
Why isn’t there a gooseberry Callipo or Twister? A rhubarb, gooseberry and elderflower Fab? A Solero with elderflower and vanilla ice-cream inner, and gooseberry outer icey thingy? Hmm? Shame on you Unilever and Nestlé. I suppose it’s down to little old me to sort out this global catastrophe. Again.
Here goes: boil up then blitz down some gooseberries, a little water, sugar and elderflower cordial. Pair this with full fat Greek yoghurt and a little more cordial. Then fill your boots. Or lolly moulds.
I’ve tried a bunch of different combinations. A gooseberry lolly on it’s own is pretty strong – for devoted sour green lovers only. Otherwise, in reverse order: try a three tiered fruit and yoghurt layer (like a Fab); yoghurt and gooseberry mixed 1:1 before being frozen; and (best of all) a kind of yoghurt and gooseberry ripple – the contrast of naturally tangy yoghurt with the occasional ribbon hit of sharp gooseberry is awesome.
It’s dead easy. Do it now before gooseberry season ends. You could get a similarly joyous result with a rhubarb or any berry compote. Summer recipes yo.
Postscript: This is not a sex toy.
Yoghurt and gooseberry ice lolly
Check the volume of your lolly moulds. This fills about 550ml worth.
- 300g gooseberries
- 40g elderflower cordial
- 70g water
- 60g caster sugar
- 250g Full fat Greek yoghurt (I like Yeo Valley)
- 50g elderflower cordial
Top and tail the goosebobbles. Stick them in a saucepan with the water, caster sugar and 40g of elderflower cordial. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes – so they burst and soften. Whizz in a blender for a few seconds.
Pour through a sieve (to remove the seeds) into a measuring jug. Check what volume you’ve got – my guess is you’re left with 350ml. (That’s about right for the yoghurt measurements above. If less, add a touch of water to make up the difference.)
For good measure, pour the gooseberry liquor back through the sieve to remove any seeds that slipped through first time round. Chill.
When the gooseberry cordial/puree is cold, mix the yoghurt with the elderflower cordial and set your ice lolly moulds up ready to be filled.
Fill each mould by spooning in each of the yoghurt and gooseberry mixes at random to get a ripple effect. Lids on. Freeze for at least 6 hours.
Looks gorgeous!