Berry Fool Dessert Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S FRESH BERRY FOOL

Steps:

• Place raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries in a bowl. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup sugar. Stir until sugar is mixed with fruit and juices begin to form. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
• Place heavy cream and creme fraiche in a cold bowl. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk until mixture has soft peaks and sharp lines, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Place some cookie crumbs in the bottom of each serving dish. Spoon in some of the fruit and a layer of whipped cream. Repeat layers, ending with a sprinkle of cookie crumbs.

RASPBERRY FOOL

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mash the raspberries; stir in 1-2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and lime juice. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. , In a small bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add remaining sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Fold into raspberry mixture. Spoon into dessert dishes.

BLACKBERRY FOOL

Steps:

• Pour the heavy cream into a large bowl with half of the confectioners' sugar and almond extract. Whip until stiff. Fold in sour cream. Refrigerate.
• In a separate bowl, toss blackberries with the remaining confectioners' sugar. Let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
• In 8 parfait glasses, layer whipped cream and blackberries, beginning and ending with whipped cream. Garnish each parfait with a strip of lemon zest, a few blackberries and a sprig of mint.

COCONUT CHERRY BERRY FOOL

Steps:

• Put the cherries in a saucepan with the pomegranate or cherry juice and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 10 mins until the fruit is tender. Add the sugar, lemon juice and brandy (if using), then simmer again for 10 mins until the liquid becomes a little thicker and syrupy. Leave to cool - if you want to do this quickly, pour the mixture into a metal roasting tin.
• Put the yogurt, cream and icing sugar in a large bowl and whip until thick but not stiff.
• Put half the cherries and their syrup in a blender or processor and pulse until very smooth. Ripple this through the cream and yogurt. Crumble the macaroons and add one-third to 4 glasses or bowls. Spoon some of the fool on top, and add some of the remaining cherries. Repeat the layers, and finish with more crumbled macaroons. Serve with extra macaroons on the side, if you like.

BLUEBERRY FOOL

Steps:

• Combine blueberries, lemon juice, cinnamon, 4 tablespoons sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until blueberries burst and become very soft, about 8 minutes. Transfer mixture to a food processor and puree. Pour into a fine sieve set over a bowl, stirring and pressing on solids to remove as much liquid as possible. Discard solids and refrigerate puree until cold and thickened slightly, at least 1 hour and, covered with plastic wrap, up to 1 day.
• Whisk or beat cream with remaining 3 tablespoons sugar to soft peaks in a large, wide bowl. Drizzle puree evenly over cream and fold cream over puree twice with a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon just until puree is streaked throughout cream. (Do not overmix.) Transfer to a large serving bowl or individual serving dishes and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours and, covered with plastic wrap, up to 1 day. Serve cold.

BLACKBERRY FOOL

Steps:

• Place the blackberries in a medium bowl and sprinkle with the granulated sugar, then drizzle with the vanilla. Toss lightly to evenly coat. Allow to steep for 10 minutes, then mash the blackberries until they release their juices and form a thick pulp.
• Combine the heavy cream and confectioners' sugar in another medium bowl. Use an electric stand or hand mixer or whisk to whip the cream to medium peaks. (When you lift the beater or whisk, the cream should hold a peak for a moment.)
• Pour the berry mixture over the cream and use a rubber spatula to gently fold until combined. You can leave streaks of the berry mixture or completely incorporate it. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. To serve, scoop into glasses or dishes and top with cookies if desired.

BLUEBERRY FOOLS

Steps:

• Make the blueberry sauce: Heat 1 1/2 cups blueberries, 1/4 cup sugar and the salt in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbling. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest and juice; remove from the heat. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup blueberries and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
• Beat the heavy cream in a bowl with a mixer or whisk until soft peaks just begin to form. Beat in the vanilla and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Gently fold all but 1/3 cup of the blueberry sauce into the whipped cream. Divide among glasses and top with the remaining blueberry sauce. Serve with cookies.

EASY BLUEBERRY FOOL

Steps:

• In a small, nonreactive saucepan, combine blueberries, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and 2 tablespoons water. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until blueberries begin to break down and juices boil and thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and transfer to a small bowl. Place bowl in a larger bowl of ice water, and stir mixture occasionally until cold.
• In a separate bowl, combine cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form; fold in 1/3 cup of the blueberry sauce. Divide among 4 dessert dishes, and spoon remaining sauce over tops.

BLUEBERRY FOOL

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine blueberries,water, maple syrup and herbs.
• Bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring constantly until the liquid has thickened and berries have popped, about 3-5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and transfer into a heat-proof bowl or measuring cup and purée using an immersion blender. You can also transfer into a standing blender and purée until smooth.
• Refrigerate until completely chilled.
• Make Berry Cream.
• Whip cream, sugar and salt in a standing mixer or large bowl until stiff peaks form and it starts to look a little lumpy (this is generally considered "over-whipped").
• Pour in 1/2 cup of chilled bb syrup (reserve remainder for the assembly), and whip on high to incorporate.
• Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the bowl, then whisk one more time to assure that streaks don't remain.
• Assemble.
• Distribute the remaining berries between 4 serving bowls or glasses.
• Dollop the berry cream over top of each, and drizzle with remaining berry syrup. Finish with an herb garnish. Serve cold.
• Note: the syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for a week, and the berry cream can be made and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. You can assemble the fools ahead of time in the serving vessels minus the syrup and garnish, covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

MIXED BERRY FOOL

Steps:

• Begin by tossing the chopped strawberries with the granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Add the heavy cream to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until soft peaks form.
• Add the powdered sugar and vanilla to the whipped cream and whip until stiff peaks form.
• Remove the whipped cream from the bowl and add it to another large bowl.
• Add the softened cream cheese and 2 cups of the chopped strawberries to the bowl of the stand mixer or bowl you whipped the cream in.
• Whip on high speed for 2 to 3 min. or until the cream cheese is light and fluffy and the strawberries have broken down.
• Gently fold 2/3 of the whipped cream into the strawberry-cream cheese mixture until combined.
• To assemble the fools, spoon about 1/3 cup of the strawberry cream into each of 8 parfait glasses. Sprinkle on some of the remaining chopped strawberries, blueberries and crushed graham crackers. Top each with another 1/3 cup dollop of the strawberry cream.
• Garnish with the remaining whipped cream and a few berries before serving.