Gooseberry Burnt Creams
Submitted by mak
Gooseberry burnt creams are a British dessert with tart gooseberry puree topped with whipped fromage blanc and double cream, finished with a crackable caramel sugar shell. A fruit-forward creme brulee.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
60 minCOOK
30 minREADY
90 minA British take on creme brulee that swaps the usual vanilla custard for a layer of tart green gooseberry puree beneath whipped cream and a thin, shatteringly crisp caramel top. Three distinct textures in every spoonful: brittle caramel, pillowy cream, and tangy fruit.
The gooseberries cook down with no added water, just the moisture clinging to the rinsed berries. Crushed to a thick puree and reduced until most of the juice evaporates, they concentrate into an intensely tart base that cuts through the richness of the cream layer above.
Fromage blanc (or quark or Greek yogurt) beaten into double cream adds tanginess alongside richness. It’s lighter than a pure cream topping and echoes the tartness of the gooseberries.
Chef Tips
- Cook the gooseberries over very low heat. High heat scorches the fruit before it breaks down.
- Reduce the puree until it’s genuinely thick, not runny. Watery puree bleeds into the cream layer.
- Chill the assembled creams in the freezer for 45 minutes before pouring the caramel. The cream must be firm or the hot sugar melts straight through.
- Work fast with the caramel. It hardens quickly, so pour it evenly over all eight dishes without hesitating.
Variations
- Use rhubarb puree instead of gooseberry for a similar tart, British-style fruit base.
- Swap fromage blanc for mascarpone for a richer, more Italian-leaning cream layer.
- Add a drop of elderflower cordial to the gooseberry puree for a classic English pairing.
Ingredients
Directions
Choose a heavy-based saucepan with a large surface area.
Put the topped and tailed gooseberries into it, still moistened by the water in which they have been rinsed.
Cover and cook over very low heat until the fruit is perfectly tender.
(It does not matter if the berries collapse in cooking here as they will be crushed to a pulp for serving.)
Crush the cooked fruit with a potato masher and cook for several minutes more, without the lid but just stirring occasionally, until most of the juices have evaporated leaving a thick fruit puree.
Add caster sugar to taste and stir until melted.
Spoon the purée into 8 individual cocotte dishes and leave until cold.
Beat the fromage blanc, quark or yoghurt into the cream until smoothly mixed then whisk until fairly stiff.
Spoon the creamy mixture over the cold purée and level the tops.
Cover and chill in the freezer for about 45 minutes until the cream firms up.
Dissolve the granulated sugar in 1 tablespoon warm water in a pan placed over low heat.
Then turn the heat up and cook until the sugar carmelises to a rich shade of gold.
Quickly pour the burnt sugar evenly over the chilled creams and set aside for 20 minutes or so until the caramel sets in thin brittle sheets of gold.
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