Question for cooks/gardeners

Gooseberry stew!

Goosebury wine!!!!:P

LOL... I will try anything, but how about some recipes? 🙂

Krusan Nynyam from Mampoo Kitchen, by Laura L Moorehead
1977
pgs. 68-69

jelly making

a homemade jelly is unlikely to be duplicated commercially. it has more of the fruit's flavor, little or no added pectin, and no synthetic sweetners. it requires patience and time. therefore it is more expensive.

jelly is always clear and needs two steps in cooking. one to extract the juice from the fruit and the second to prepare the jelly.

to extract the juice from the frit, use a heavy enamel or stainless steel kettle.

pick and wash the fruit. drain, crush soft fruit and eadd enough water to cover the fruit, without the fruit being able to float. the less juicy or harder fruits require larger amounts of water than the softer fruits. cook over low heat, uncover the pot until the fruit is soft and loses it's color.

strain through the colander, then place the liquid in a jelly bag that is suspended, and use only the clear liquid that flows through without squeezing the bag.

rinse the bag in boiling water after use and dry.

SOFT FRUITS

banana
cherry
soursop
guavas

HARD FRUITS

mango
genep
guavaberry
gooseberry

measure the amount of strained liquid into a large enamel or stainless steel pot. the container should hold four times the capacity of jelly to be made. for four cups of jelly use a four quart pot. make small amounts of jelly to achieve success as a beginner.

simmer juice for five minutes. add the amount of sugar needed at once, previously measured. 1 cup of sugar and one cup of juice for acid fruits. one and one quart cup of sugar and one cup lime juice to four cups of the fruit juice for sweet fruits to improve flavor and preserve the color.

stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves before allowing the jelly to boil. let jelly cook rapidly until it thickens and reaches the jellying stage of 225 degrees F. let sit five minutes to stop cooking. skim scum off the top of jelly. ladle or pour into clean sterile hot jars. fill within 1/2" of the rim. cover with melted paraffin. seal tightly, label and date.

cake making

My Island Kitchen, Erva Boulon
no publisher's date
first section, pg. 8-9

gooseberry cake

1 cup gooseberry butter
1/2 cup coconut shortening (pure coconut oil is hard like shortening) or oleo
2 cups cake flour (sifted)
1/2 cup raw or brown sugar
1 tablespoon hot water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon each: salt, allspice, cloves, cinnamon

cream sugar and shortening, add gooseberry butter, add soda dissolved in hot water, add flour, spices and salt sifted together.
pour into an 8 to 10 inch square cake pan which has greased and floured. it will take 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. sprinkle with powdered sugar or spread with jelly. this cake can be made with any pureed fruit which has been sweetened. i use the gooseberries because they grow right outside my kitchen window.

gooseberries

4 qts. gooseberries
water to cover

wash the berries, place in a large kettle and cover with water. allow to boil until berries are red. strain. the juice may be used as a breakfast juice or processed for future jelly making.

gooseberry butter

6 cups pureed fruit
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon cloves.

press enough of the cooked gooseberries though a colander to make the measure of fruit. mix the ingredients in a large heavy kettle, boil 10-15 minutes, watch for scorching. pack into jars, hot and sterile, seal and cool for storing.

gooseberry whip

2 cups gooseberry butter
4 tablespoons powdered sugar
4 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt

beat egg whites until stiff, add powdered sugar gradually until used, beating continuously, add goosberry butter until it is all gone, beating after each addition. chill. serve with coconut cream or soft custard.

pickled gooseberries

2 quarts cleaned gooseberries
4 cups raw or brown sugar
2 tablespoons pickle spices
1 pint vinegar
2 teaspoons cloves

just cover the gooseberries with water, cook until the berries are red, then strain off the juice; to the juice add the sugar, vinegar and spices, return to the stove. while the juice is coming to a boil pack the berries into hot sterile jars, pour the boiling hot liquid over the berries, seal and cool for storage. these are excellent with curry or used as a meat relish.

I have no recipes, but, can I get that gooseberry curd recipe you used?

Best,

Ilo

Good Afternoon, Sistalrijah, and many thanks for those recipes! I am always looking for something to do with local fruits. I'm still eating from the marmalade I made from the peels of lots of lemons and limes (with a few store bought grapefruit and orange peels thrown in) and I'm psyched to do more. Note for low sugar folks: I am gradually upping the amount of Splenda I put into preserves in order to cut calories. I think there is some sugar you have to have to set the preserve, but I'm trying to use as little as possible. If anyone has done all Splenda fruit preserves, do tell...

Best,

Islandlola

Can you use the Splenda for Baking? the one that's half Splenda/half sugar?

For Gooseberry stew you basically boil the gooseberries with sugar, cinanananananamon, and a bay leaf...bring it to a boil then reduce it....you can tweak it

Awesome--thanks!

The bay leaf should add an interesting flavor.

Ilo

For the curd... I boil the gooseberries with some water until very soft... strain the pits out through a strainer. I start with about four and a half cups of berries and water to cover the bottom. I don't strain off the remaining water.

Once I have the puree, I stir in about 4 T butter and a cup of sugar. Whish four eggs and two egg yolks together, then whisk into the mixture... continue to whisk continously over heat for about twenty minutes or until thickish.

I eat it on toast, my landlord eats it warm right out of the pot as a custard kind of thing. Another neighbor puts it as a filling in little tartlets. Good stuff. 🙂

Thanks for the great recipes, SistaIrijah

The curd sounds fantastic, thanks!

Ilo