Ingredient of the month... gooseberries!
Gooseberries seemed to wane in popularity for a while, but these little bonbons bursting with flavour absolutely thrive in the British climate and also in Sweden (I discovered some bushes at Fäviken, pictured). The earliest of the season tend to be the green, tarter variety, meaning they work incredibly well when lightly simmered with sugar, popping open to leave behind a sweet juicy mess.
Gooseberries have a natural affinity for mackerel - and other oily fish for that matter - the tartness mellowing out the richness of the flesh (see Thomasina Miers' recipe beneath). But for a dessert lover like myself, I like to enjoy their tart acidity with a dollop of ice cream or yoghurt for a lighter end to a meal.
Gooseberries baked en papillote
• 150g gooseberries, washed
• 1 peach or nectarine, stoned and sliced
• 1 tbsp muscovado sugar
1 good squeeze of lemon juice
• a few drops of vanilla essence
Toss the ingredients together in a bowl then divide between two parchment paper parcels. Bake for 20 minutes at 180°C.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Some other excellent ideas from around the web:
Thomasina Mier's Flash-fried Mackerel with Gooseberry Relish
