“Fool” might be an odd name for dessert, but it has been served for centuries, and no one is quite sure why it is called that. Making it, though, is a pretty smart thing to do considering how easy it is and the reward of doing so: a delightfully creamy whip, infused with the essence of fresh berries.
A traditional British fool is made with a custard or an all-whipped cream base, but this one takes advantage of the creaminess of thick Greek yogurt, folding in just a bit of whipped cream to yield a happy balance of richness and healthfulness. The yogurt also adds a lovely, subtly tangy dimension.
This recipe calls for blueberries, but you can certainly substitute any summer berry you happen to have a lot of: strawberries, blackberries, raspberries. The berries are first pureed with honey and a touch of lemon zest, then strained. The resulting liquid is combined with the yogurt and then folded into freshly whipped cream and chilled.
Dollop it into stemmed glasses and scatter a few berries on top. You’ll have an elegant summer dessert that would be downright foolish to miss out on.
Ellie Krieger writes for The Washington Post.
Blueberry fool
Here’s a better-for-you take on the classic English dessert, traditionally made with a custard or an all-whipped cream base, that takes advantage of the thick, creaminess of Greek yogurt, folding it with some whipped cream to yield a happy balance of richness and healthfulness. This recipe calls for blueberries, but you can certainly substitute any summer berry.
Note: The fool needs to be refrigerated for at least 1 hour, and up to 4 hours in advance. It may separate a bit with the longer storage, and will need to be re-stirred.
1 pint (2 cups) fresh blueberries, stemmed and rinsed
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
⅔ cup well-chilled heavy cream
Puree 1½ cups of the blueberries in a mini food processor or in a blender. Pour the puree through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pushing it through with a flexible spatula and scraping it into the bowl as it accumulates on the underside of the strainer. Discard the remaining solids.
Stir the honey and lemon zest into the strained puree, then stir in the yogurt until well incorporated.
Chill a mixing bowl. Pour in the heavy cream; beat (by hand or with an electric mixer) to form soft peaks.
Gently fold the whipped cream into the blueberry mixture, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
To serve, spoon the mixture into stemmed glasses and top with the remaining blueberries.
Makes 6 servings (makes about 2 cups). Nutrition per serving: 180 calories, 5 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams fat, 6 grams saturated fat, 35 milligrams cholesterol, 25 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber, 19 grams sugar.
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