Gooseberries are a wonderful berry. These fruits are translucent and convex, with veins running from top to bottom. Unripe gooseberries have a green color, similar to grapes, but taste does not have any sweetness. Such berries are very tart and sour. Ripe gooseberries are usually sweet and sour and juicy. But when preparing and adding sweeteners, the taste of the fruit becomes unusual, sour-tart, similar to rhubarb, with grape notes. This article lists the most interesting gooseberry recipes with photos.
What is good to know about this garden crop?
The gooseberry season is quite short, and it depends on sunny weather - the berries can ripen for a very long time. Spruces are present in the shrubs, so when picking berries it is recommended to wear garden gloves or, at least, take care to prevent injuries.
Gooseberries have a rich history. It was first cultivated in Europe in the sixteenth century and was often used in medicine - it was advised to use for many diseases. In cookbooks, gooseberries in recipes have been a very popular ingredient for centuries in a row, especially as a base for alcoholic drinks or sauces served with meat stews or marinades.
How to cook this berry?
Gooseberries are tastier when they are slightly sweetened and cooked. It can be cooked in the oven as a filling for baking. It can also become a raw material for compote or jam. In any case, the gooseberry will remain textured, with a clearly detachable peel and seeds.
To create a smoothie, mix the cooked berries and pass them through a sieve. Such a mass also looks good in cocktails and can be used to flavor jellies or sorbets.
Everyone today knows that gooseberries are a rich source of vitamin C and generally bring many health benefits if consumed regularly. This berry is also well suited for diabetics. Contrary to popular belief, many desserts and preserves for the winter can be prepared from gooseberries. The most interesting gooseberry recipes are presented below.
Gooseberry Green Cheesecake
This berry cheesecake is a wonderful dessert with a contrasting taste. The tart and sour gooseberries go well with sweet creamy filling. To prepare it, the following is required:
- 800 grams of gooseberries peeled;
- 75 grams of sugar;
- 150 grams of any cookie crushed;
- butter 50 grams, molten.
For filling:
- 600 grams of cream cheese;
- 2 tablespoons plain flour;
- 100 grams of lemon sugar;
- 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk;
- 2 tablespoons gooseberry syrup;
- vanilla extract;
- 150 ml of sour cream.
For cream:
- 150 ml sour cream;
- 2 tablespoons gooseberry syrup.
How to do it?
This original gooseberry recipe for home looks like this. Preheat the oven to 200 ° C. Place the gooseberries in a large metal mold, sprinkle with sugar, mix well and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the berries to a sieve placed above the bowl, collect all the syrup. Reduce oven temperature to 170 ° C.
Mix the cookies with the butter and lay on the bottom of the spring baking dish, gently pressing. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, remove and let cool.
Place cream cheese, flour, eggs, egg yolk, 2 tablespoons of gooseberry syrup and sour cream in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until the mass is homogeneous. Be careful not to overheat the mixture.
Place half of the drained gooseberries over the base of the cheesecake, making sure the berries do not touch the edges of the mold. Pour the filling on top, gently tap the mold once or twice on the countertop to remove air bubbles.
Place the cheesecake on a baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes. Mix the remaining sour cream and 2 tablespoons of tablespoon syrup, beat with a mixer, and then carefully pour it over the cheesecake. Be very careful as the top of the dessert will be fragile. Return the product to the oven and bake another 15 minutes. Take out the dessert and draw a round flat knife around the inside of the mold to prevent the cheesecake from sticking to the walls. Leave the dessert to cool completely in shape, then cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
To serve, remove the cheesecake from the mold, cut and pour over the remaining berries mixed with syrup. As you can see, this is a fairly simple recipe with gooseberries.
Gooseberry and Almond Pie
This is a great dessert that can be served with tea in its natural form or with custard. To prepare it you need:
- 250 grams of chilled butter, chopped;
- 250 grams of self-rising flour ;
- 125 grams of ground almonds;
- 125 grams of sugar;
- 350 grams of gooseberry, fresh or frozen;
- 85 grams of vanilla sugar;
- 50 grams of almond flakes.
Cooking Shortbread Cake
The gooseberry pie recipe is very simple. Preheat oven to 190 ° C. Lay out the baking dish with parchment paper.
Rub oil into flour, almonds and sugar to make crumbs, then firmly press two-thirds of the resulting mass to the base and sides of the mold. Put gooseberries with vanilla sugar on top.
Combine the almond flakes with the remaining crumbs of dough, then scatter them over the gooseberries. Bake for 50 minutes - 1 hour until golden brown. Sprinkle with large sugar, chop and serve. If you wish, you can supplement this recipe with gooseberries and put custard or vanilla pudding on the cake.
Gooseberry jam
This jam has a pleasant acidity and can be served as a dessert or as a sauce for meat dishes. To weld it, you need:
- 1 cup gooseberry;
- ¾ cup sugar;
- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice;
- 2 grains of clove;
- ¼ cinnamon sticks;
- ¼ cup of water.
If you want to cook a large quantity of jam (follow this recipe from gooseberries for the winter, in reserve), calculate the ingredients in the above proportion.
How to cook jam?
Rinse the gooseberries and fill it with plenty of water. Bring to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Drain completely and allow gooseberries to cool slightly.
Cut the berries into two halves. Remove the seeds and cut the halves into flakes. Take the pan and switch the flame to the middle level. Put chopped gooseberries, sugar, cloves, cinnamon and water in it. Once the sugar has completely dissolved, switch the flame to a low level and mix occasionally.
After 10-15 minutes, you can remove the cloves and cinnamon and start stirring the berry flesh with a round spoon or spatula. Once you get an almost uniform smoothie, add lemon juice and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the mixture reaches a gel consistency. Jam should not be watery or too thick. Remove the pan from the heat and cool. Store in an airtight jar. As you can see, this gooseberry recipe is very easy to use.
Useful Tips
Do not worry if the jam becomes too thick after storage. You can reheat it, add some water and boil it. You can also use frozen berries to make this jam.
Canned Gooseberries
In addition to jam and jams, gooseberries can be used to make compote. If desired, this blank can be made alcoholic.
For this recipe you need:
- 1.8-2 kg of slightly immature gooseberries;
- 800 grams of sugar;
- 2 cups (500 ml) of water;
- 2 tablespoons honey;
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice;
- 1 bottle (750 ml) of white rum (if you want to make an alcoholic drink);
- 2 whole vanilla pods.
How to make such a gooseberry compote?
This recipe looks like this. Remove the ponytails from the gooseberry with scissors or a small knife. Wash the berries.
Bring sugar with 2 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add honey and lemon juice. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool slightly while you are cooking the cans.
Fill a large pot with enough water to cover your cans completely and bring the water to a boil. If you do not have a special stand, place a pair of kitchen towels on the bottom and between the jars so that they do not crack. When the water begins to boil, put the jars and lids in the water to sterilize them. Remove them after a few minutes and dry thoroughly with a clean kitchen towel.
Put gooseberries in jars. Cut the vanilla pods and place them equally in each container in the middle of the berries. Strain the syrup and return it to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add rum and boil if desired. This homemade gooseberry recipe allows you to get completely different results, depending on the addition of alcohol.
Pour the boiling syrup onto the gooseberries, leaving about 1.5 cm of free space at the top. Wipe the top of the cans with a damp paper towel. Place the lids on the cans and tighten them tightly. Treat the container in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Carefully remove from water and place on a damp kitchen towel. Leave the jars for 24 hours, then rearrange them in a dark, cool place. It is advisable that the compote stand for two months before opening. If the jars are properly sealed, such a gooseberry will be stored for more than a year.
Home wine
Of course, gooseberries are far from the most common berry from which wine is made. But the finished product will pleasantly surprise and delight you. According to the recipe for gooseberry wine at home, you will need:
- 2 kg of gooseberries;
- 1.3 kg of sugar;
- 4 liters of water;
- half a teaspoon of pectin (thickener for jams);
- 1 packet of powdered yeast.
How to make it?
Gooseberry wine recipe is as follows. Wash the berries and place in a closed vessel, then refrigerate overnight. This will help release more flavor. Place the berries in a wine container and crush with a sterilized mashed potato stupa. Pour in half the water. Boil the other half with sugar and pour into gooseberries. Cool to room temperature. Set aside for 12 hours before adding yeast and pectin. Then leave in a warm place for a week. After this, strain and place in a cool place.