Sunday, August 7, 2016

Alpha Bakers -- Gooey Gooseberry Crisp

Few things look as cool as a gooseberry. The veined, translucent globules have fascinated me since they were only a name in British novels, and I've made several memorable gooseberry tarts over the last ten years. When it comes to crisp, though, the gooseberries really fell down. Maybe the culprit was the currants!
I made the gooseberry crisp with a mixture of green gooseberries (underripe = more pectin, no?) and red and white currants (a present from my parents). With all that beautiful fruit, I wanted more from the final effort, which was uninspiring. Oversweet, too buttery, and gooey, this crisp just wasn't the finest expression of gooseberry potential. I'm going back to stone fruits and apples for my crisps, and back to featuring gooseberries in custard tarts. 

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm not sure I've ever tasted gooseberries, now that I think about it! I used a variety of berries, and we enjoyed it. Your crisp does look delicious, however. Best baking to you!

Rachel said...

The gooseberry-currant combo sure looks good. Pity the taste didn't live up to the visual.

Vicki said...

Did you find them fresh? A gooseberry tart sounds delicious. This is the first time I've tasted gooseberries.

Katya said...

Vicki, yes, fresh. They're pretty widely available here in season.