Those Cakes We Like ... Are Just Fooling Around

A cooling dessert for a hot summer day.

Fruit, cream, and buttery shortbread. What more could you want?

Here in the United Kingdom, we continue to melt in a heatwave which has lasted for well over a month. It’s the kind of weather that means baking is the last thing you want to be doing, and crawling inside the freezer for a brief reprieve is starting to seem like a very good idea. This kind of weather is when light, creamy, fruity desserts really come into their own, and today’s recipe, the Fool is a brilliant example of this kind of dessert which traces its origin back to at least the 16^th Century, with some variations possibly being even older than that. There is some debate as to where the name of this dish originates from, with some claiming it comes from the French word, ‘fouler’, meaning “to crush” or “to press” due to the fruit compote element associated with many variations of the Fool. Another possibility is that the name comes from the simplicity and unpretentiousness of the dish, perhaps linking it to the profession of Fool and the jesters of Royal courts who entertained Kings and Courtiers with agility and humour whilst maintaining the ability to disappear into the background when their services were not required.

A Little Slice Of History

The earliest recorded recipe for a Fool or Foole dates from 1655, when it appeared in a collection of English Royal recipes titled The Compleat Cook, although an Italian dish described as “like a foole” is mentioned in the Italian – English dictionary, A Worlde of Words, which was written by John Florio and published in 1598. This would suggest that the history of the Fruit Fool precedes the written record by a considerable time period. An alternative name for a Fool during the 16^th and 17^th Century was Trifle, although the modern Trifle has evolved to include a cake element and sometimes a fruit jelly (Jello in the United States). “Trifle” is also used to describe something which is small and unpretentious; a gift might be described as “just a trifle” in order to downplay its significance. Originally, both Fool and Trifle described a simple dish of cream and crushed and boiled fruit. It was actually considered the safest way to eat fruit during the 15^th Century as there were concerns that raw fruit was unhealthy – a quick look at the Republican Party will show that some haven’t moved on from these crazy medieval ideas about health.

Literature has a long existing trope of the “wise fool”, frequently a seemingly insignificant character who hides intelligence behind a facade of simplicity or humour, or reveals deep wisdom through clumsy or unintelligent antics. This trope has existed at least since Ancient Greece, and spans every culture and religion, from Diogenes, the Cynic philosopher who carried a lamp during the day in a quest to find an “honest man” and mock what he considered false wisdom of elite society, to the Islamic tales of Mullah Nasreddin, who’s naïve and often absurd antics were used to moral and philosophical lessons. William Shakespeare perfected this trope with various characters in his plays such as Touchstone in As You Like It, Feste in Twelfth Night, or the Fool in King Lear.

As many of you are aware, Wonkette has recently lost a beloved friend in Gav Ashdown, also known as FukuiSanYesOta. I was trying desperately to think of a way to honour him in this recipe blog, and I came to the realisation that Gav was a man who faced the world with humour and just a little madness, yet behind that humorous antics was a kind and generous individual who was frequently among the smartest people in the room. Truly an example of the Wise Fool. And I think he’d probably have a good laugh over that.

Compassion, generosity and intelligence hidden behind a wicked sense of humour. We'll miss you, Fukui, our Wise Fool.

The Fruit Fool is a light, refreshing summer dessert, perfect for dining al Fresco on a summer evening, and although a little bit of work over a hot stove is needed, the result is worth the effort. Just about any fruit will work for this recipe, but it is absolutely ideal for using up summer berries such as strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Fresh or frozen doesn’t really matter either, so it is great for using up whatever you have in the fridge or freezer. If you want to make a vegan version of this dessert then I would suggest keeping your eyes open for Birds Custard Powder in the UK section of larger grocery stores, this is an egg-free custard mix which can be made of the stove or in the microwave and simply requires the addition of milk (use coconut milk) and sugar. Combining this with some coconut cream will give you a fully vegan version of this recipe.

This recipe will comfortably serve 3, you could probably stretch it to 4. For fellow members of the Dead Pancreas Society, that means your carbohydrates will be 121.4g for the fool, or between 30 and 40g per portion, to this you would need to add your fruit, and anything else you wished to serve with it. For the cornflake granola, that would be around 6g per 2 tablespoons, for the shortbread, this would be 17.5g per biscuit.

Your Equipment

For the Fool:

Digital kitchen scales

Saucepan

Mixing bowl (large)

Whisk (electric or hand powered)

For the Granola:

Digital scales

Rolling pin

Baking tray

For the Shortbread:

Digital scales

Food processor or mixing bowl

Rolling pin

Baking tray

Baking parchment

Sharp knife

Serving dishes or wine glasses

Your Ingredients

For the Fool:

Ingredients for the fool, and the fruit compote.

3 Egg yolks

65 g Sugar (superfine/caster sugar is best, but regular sugar will work)

20 g Cornstarch (Corn flour in the UK)

20 g All purpose flour

300 ml full fat milk

1 tsp Vanilla essence

250 ml heavy cream

Alternatively, use approximately ¾ pint of custard made using Birds Custard Powder, or a tin of Ambrosia Devon Custard and ½ pint of heavy whipping cream0 coconut cream.

For the Fruit Compote:

150 g Blue berries, raspberries, or soft fruit of your choice

1 tbsp Sugar

2 tbsp Water

Alternatively, use around 150 g of raspberries or strawberries, 1 tbsp of raspberry or strawberry jam, and 1 tbsp of hot water.

For the Granola:

Granola ingredients

30 g Rolled oats

30 g Pecan nuts

4 Digestive biscuits or around 60g of Graham crackers

20 g Cornflakes

20 g Raisins, sultanas, or mixed fruit (optional)

40 g Runny honey

For the Shortbread:

Everything you need to make a delicious, buttery shortbread.

125 g Butter

55 g Sugar

180 g All purpose flour

The Important Bit

The fool will need to be prepared a few hours in advance as it needs to chill in the refridgerator for at least 2 hours before you serve it. Start by whisking your egg yolks (3), flour (20g), cornstarch (20g) and sugar (65g) in large mixing bowl. Whisk it until the egg yolks are thick and pale.

In your saucepan, heat the milk (300 ml) and vanilla essence (1 tsp) until it boils, then remove it from the heat immediately.

Add your hot milk into your egg yolk very slowly (around 1 tbsp at a time), whisk the egg yolk mix constantly while you do this to avoid scrambling the eggs. Once the milk mix has been added into the yolk mixture, transfer it back to the saucepan and simmer on a low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the custard mix is smooth and thick. Give your mixing bowl a quick wash and then place the custard into the mixing bowl to cool for around 30 minutes.

Use this time to prepare your granola. Firstly, heat your oven to 360F/180C. Use the rolling pin to smash up the pecans (30g) and Digestive biscuits or Graham crackers (4 biscuits/60g), place these on a baking tray along with the cornflakes (20g), the rolled oats (30g), and the raisins or sultanas (20g) if using. Mix well and spread across the baking tray and then drizzle with runny honey (40g). Bake the granola for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, store in an airtight container until needed.

It's a simple granola recipe, but it adds a nice bit of crunch to the finished dessert.

Take your cooled custard and fold in your heavy whipping cream (250 ml). Place this mixture into the fridge to chill for a few hours until you’re ready to serve it.

This is the perfect time to prepare your shortbread. Preheat your oven to 360F/180C and mix your flour (180g) and sugar (55g) in a mixing bowl or food processor. Cut your butter (125g) into cubes and add to the dry ingredients. Use your fingers to rub the burrer into the flour mixture until it forms a breadcrumb-like texture, then knead until it comes together to form a thick dough. Alternatively, use the pulse function on your food processor until the mixture forms a thick dough.

Line your baking tray with baking parchment and roll out your shortbread until it forms a rectangle of approximately 12 by 8 inches. Place the shortbread onto the baking tray and use a knife to score it into 12 portions (cut it into ½ lengthways, then divide each half into 6 fingers measuring 1 by 4 inches). Gently score the top of the shortbread fingers using the knife, then sprinkle with the remaining sugar (10g).

Bake in the oven for around 15-20 minutes, or until the shortbread is a pale golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Careful, this shortbread tends to disappear very quickly.

The final step is to make your fruit compote. Take your saucepan and fruit (150g raspberries, blueberries or strawberries), add 2 tbsp of water and 1 tbsp of sugar. Cook the fruit on a medium heat until boiling, then turn down the heat and simmer for around 5 minutes whilst gently crushing the berries with a spoon. Once the compote has thickened enough to coat the back of the spoon, remove from the heat and allow to cool until you are ready to assemble your Fools.

Take your dessert dish or wine glass and place a spoonful of fruit compote at the bottom. Top with 1-2 spoons full of the custard mixture, then another spoonful of compote. Continue alternating layers of compote and custard mixture until you have filled the dessert dish or wine glass. Top with 2 tbsp of the granola mixture, and/or a shortbread biscuit. Serve immediately.

Top you fool with granola, or shortbread, or be indulgent and have both.

Join me next month when I’ll be taking a trip to Georgia (the country, not the state) and making a return to bread making with a recipe for Imeruli Khachapuri, a popular, cheese-stuffed bread which would make a lovely lunch served with a vibrant, leafy salad, or just a delicious, fun snack.

Until then…

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