A delicious recipe for fresh gooseberries

Top and tail the gooseberries

Gooseberries in Honey Saffron Custard

We have some gooseberry bushes in the garden and this year they have had plenty of fruit.  The fruit was ready to pick this weekend so I had a scout around for a recipe and came up with 'Gooseberries in Honey Saffron Custard', a recipe from my Riverford Farm Cookbook.  I made a few changes to the recipe, cutting down on the sugar, honey and cream and using 5 eggs instead of six, and I'm pleased to report that it turned out well.

If you can get hold of some fresh gooseberries I'm sure you will love this pudding.  This is my version -

Ingredients:

225g gooseberries topped and tailed

35g caster sugar

5 egg yolks

300ml single cream

50g honey

a sprinkle of saffron strands

Method:

1. The gooseberries

Put the gooseberries in a pan with the sugar and a tablespoon of water.

Cover and simmer gently for 5 mins.

Divide between 6 ramekin dishes (that can go into the oven)

Divide the stewed gooseberries between the ramekin dishes

2. The custard

Put the egg yolks, cream, honey and saffron into a bowl (preferably one with a lip that can sit on the rim of a pan) and lightly whisk together with a fork.

Sit the bowl over a pan of simmering water - make sure the water doesn't touch the bowl.

Cook the custard for about 10 mins, stirring constantly, until it has thickened a little.

Egg yolks, cream, honey and saffron mixture

Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water

3. Assemble the puddings

Strain the custard though a fine sieve over the gooseberries in the ramekins. This is to remove the saffron strands.

4. Bake the puddings

Heat the oven to 140 degrees C (Gas Mark1).
Put the ramekins in a roasting tin containing about 3cm of hot water.
Place this (carefully) in the pre-heated oven and bake for 45mins until just set.

5. Enjoy the fresh summer flavours!

Serve the puddings at room temperature.  I hope you like them. We thought they were delicious...

Gooseberries in Honey Saffron Custard