Gooseberries are native to the temperate regions of Asia, Europe and Africa and have been cultivated in Britain since the middle ages.
We love the tart and tangy flavour of gooseberries and our temperate climate seems to suit them well, so luckily they grow in profusion on our allotment. They were a huge favourite of gardeners in the 18th and 19th Centuries, a period which saw the establishment of ‘Gooseberry Clubs’, especially in northern England when they became the focus of competitive growing. I have very fond memories from childhood of an uncle who grew huge swathes of gooseberries in both his garden and on an allotment, which he affectionately referred to as his ‘goosegogs’. I wonder how on earth they ate them all when I think about it.
We don’t need quite so many. A couple of bushes keeps us in a plentiful supply of gooseberries so we grow a green variety called ‘Invicta’ which is an old time gardener’s favourite, plus ‘Hinnomaki Red’ which has a lovely red coloured berry. The fruit tends to ripen all at the same time, so after the tedious job of topping and tailing them, I quickly open freeze them and then pop them into bags in the freezer, which makes it easy to remove a few at a time to thaw and cook with them.
A bit like rhubarb, gooseberries are versatile, because they go very well with oily fish such as mackerel and they also make a great pudding.
With a bag of homemade crumble and some gooseberries in the freezer, I always have the wherewithal to whip up a quick pudding, but I also find them a great freezer standby for my gooseberry yoghurt pots with a nutty granola topping.
A granola topping turns fruit and yoghurt into a proper pudding. It’s easy to make as all the ingredients are simply mixed together and spread onto a baking tray and once it is baked and cooled, it turns into crisp, sweet nuggets.
The recipe makes more granola than you need for four puddings and although you can make a smaller quantity if you really want to, it’s worth making a batch, because it keeps well in an airtight tub and makes a handy topping to jazz up ice cream or plain yoghurt. Don’t chop the nuts too finely, you want some big pieces in an amongst to add texture and crunch.
While the Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica) had been tested by Monash at the time of writing this post, the European gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa) is a different fruit and had not been tested, so we have no way of knowing if they are low or high FODMAP. My husband seem to tolerate them well, although we only ever eat a modest portion to be on the safe side, but I haven’t included this recipe in the low FODMAP category, because for the time being at least, I have no reliable way of knowing the FODMAP content of gooseberries.
If you need to keep the recipe strictly gluten free (for someone with Coeliac disease), be careful to use oats which are certified gluten free.
Gooseberry yoghurt pots with nutty granola
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Loading...A tart but sweet gooseberry puree is teamed with thick natural yoghurt and a nutty granola topping to make a light, but very moreish dessert. Find it online at https://www.peskyveggie.com/gooseberry-yoghurt-pots-with-nutty-granola/
Ingredients
- FOR THE PUREE AND YOGHURT LAYERS
- 300 g gooseberries
- 2tbsp sugar (or to taste)
- 400 g Greek yoghurt or thick natural yoghurt (lactose free if necessary)
- FOR THE GRANOLA TOPPING
- 75 g whole skin on almonds, roughly chopped
- 75 g pecans, roughly chopped
- 60 g dark muscovado sugar
- 60 g porridge oats
- 60 g pinhead oatmeal
- 60 g sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
Instructions
Pre heat oven to 180C / 160C fan / Gas Mark 4.
Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
Place all ingredients for the crunchy granola topping in a large bowl and mix well until thorough combined, then spread mix in an even layer on the baking tray.
Place in pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes, checking from time to time to make sure it isn’t burning. Remove tray from oven and leave to cool so that it crisps up. When completely cool, break into pieces.
Place gooseberries in a microwave safe bowl with the sugar and cover with a silicon cover or an old saucer. Cook on high for 1 minute, then remove and stir before cooking on high for a further minute. The gooseberries should have split and softened and the sugar melted to create a syrup, if not, cook for a further 30 secs to 1 minute.
Remove gooseberry mix and allow to cool before chilling in the fridge for at least an hour, though you can leave it all day or overnight if you want to.
Take 4 sundae glasses or large goblets and layer the gooseberry puree and yoghurt, finishing with a layer or yoghurt and then topping generously with the granola mix.
Notes
The puree and granola can be made hours ahead, or even the day before and once the puree and yoghurt has been layered, it can be kept chilled in the fridge for a few hours too. Store any leftover granola in an airtight tub and it should keep well for 2 - 3 weeks. While oats do not contain gluten, many of them are processed in factories that also process ingredients that do contain gluten, so thoroughly check that all your ingredients are certified gluten free if it will be eaten by someone with Coeliac disease.
