Please welcome today's guest author, our friend Elizabeth J. Duncan. A former journalist and college professor, Elizabeth is the author of two mystery series – the brand new Shakespeare in the
Catskills and the well-established, multi-award winning Penny Brannigan books set in
North Wales. Elizabeth is the 2013 winner of the Bloody Words Light Mystery
Award (aka the
Bony Blithe), a Canadian national juried award given annually for a light mystery.
Elizabeth is
launching a new series – Shakespeare in the Catskills - featuring costume
designer Charlotte Fairfax. And Elizabeth’s dropping by the kitchen today with a
little something that might have come right out of Mrs. Shakespeare’s recipe
box.
In Shakespeare’s day, the nobility loved their
meat and sweets, while less prosperous folk had to make do with a diet of grains
and vegetables. Guess who lived longer?
Anyway, there’s not much call today for
suckling pig or roast swan, so we’re making a remarkably easy yet decadent
sweet called a fruit fool, which uses just four ingredients. This quintessential
English dessert made with a ribbon of stewed or pureed fruit and cream started
showing up on Elizabethan tables in 1598, around the time Shakespeare was
writing The Merchant of Venice and arranging the financing for the Globe
theatre.
Original versions of the dessert were made
with gooseberries, but you could make it with it any fruit. For summer,
raspberries or strawberries are lovely, blended with a complimentary flavour of
yogurt.
For fall, try folding in an apple/cinnamon
blend, or cranberries.
I made mine with frozen rhubarb from my
garden.
When you’ve tasted the fruit fool, you’ll
be making much ado over practically nothing!
The
rhubarb fool
Two cups rhubarb, fresh or frozen
¼ cup sugar
half cup of whipping cream
Individual serving container plain or
vanilla Greek yogurt
Four simple ingredients make a fruit fool |
Combine the rhubarb and sugar and cook over
medium heat, about eight to 10 minutes, until mixture is soft and stringy, but
some pieces remain. Drain and cool, reserving liquid. You can do this in
advance.
Whip cream until it forms soft peaks, then gently
fold in container of yogurt. Then, gently fold in drained, stewed rhubarb.
Serve in glass containers, topped with a few spoonsful of the reserved rhubarb liquid
and garnish with a sprig of mint (I used springs of rosemary here and that works too).
Enjoy and please come by and say hi to Elizabeth today! Remember that the delicious debut of An Untimely Death is November 10th. Don't miss out on this treat.
The cover of the book looks lovely and is very intriguing! I believe I must check it out!
ReplyDeleteHi Jody, I hope you will check it out, and if you do, hope you enjoy it. Cheers.
DeleteThe recipe sounds very good! I like that you used rhubarb, I will have to remember it for next spring.
ReplyDeleteHi Elaine, Yes, perfect for spring/summer.
DeleteWelcome, Elizabeth! This is such a lovely recipe - thanks for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteHugs.
MJ aka Victoria Abbott
Thank you so much for letting me back in the kitchen! I'll leave it nice and tidy!
DeleteSimple and very adaptable. A good combination.
ReplyDeleteWho knew they had Greek yogurt back in Shakespeare's day! ; o)
Ah well, you caught me out, LIbby. The Greek yogurt was added a few centuries later. Cheers!
DeleteWelcome back, Elizabeth! Your new series sounds fascinating. This is such a wonderful recipe. Something everyone can whip up in no time!
ReplyDeleteHi Krista, It's great to be back in the kitchen. Thanks for having me. Yes, whip is the right word!
DeleteThe dessert sounds great, as does the series. I don't have rhubarb, but would love to attempt some other fruit version!
ReplyDeleteThank you Katreader. I hope you will enjoy both!
DeleteYum! I love stewed Rhubarb & this sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing it! I love you grow your own rhubarb. I want to start growing my own because it's nearly impossible to find in MS. Any suggestions on beginning to grow rhubarb? Be heard to start with plants. I'll probably have to move mine in pots to shade so it won't get too much sun here.
ReplyDeleteHi Pamela. It's very easy to grow and lasts forever. You just have to keep harvesting it. I harvest it all summer and freeze it, and it works really well mixed with apples in the fall in a fruit crisp. Suggest you talk to someone in your local garden centre to get the plant that's right for your area. .
ReplyDelete