Fools are classic old-school British desserts that cooks could knock up quickly from what was on hand: cream, fruit (fresh or stewed) and sugar. Berries, especially gooseberries, are traditional – and strawberry, raspberry, damson plum and rhubarb fools are also popular. Food historian Alan Davidson observes that fool desserts are best suited to tart northern fruit like these – though today tropical fruits such as mango are also common. While Davidson suggests the name may derive from the French verb fouler, meaning to mash, it’s often suggested that it marks the fool as a simple dessert, not to be taken too seriously – the same as trifle, whim-wham and flummery. The French variation on a fool dessert is crème printania, made with pureed strawberries, kirsch and Chantilly cream – and Eton mess is another popular variation on a fool. Flower waters were popular in medieval fools, so I add a dash of orange blossom to my rhubarb fool, but it’s not essential. Etymology aside, fools are frivolous desserts – so use whatever fruit you like and adjust the fruit to cream ratio to suit your taste. I love my rhubarb fool with an extra splodge of compote on top, for added tang, and a glass of the bitter radicchio vermouth from those always-experimenting lads at Renzaglia Wines in the Central Ranges of NSW. See video below for another versatile old-school British fruit dessert.
Serves 4
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Yes. The fruit can be stewed a day or more ahead and the whole fool can be assembled and refrigerated a few hours before serving.
Fools date back to at least the 16th century and some classic early fools were made without fruit – such as Norfolk fool and Westminster which were based on bread and custard. Today the term fool suggests a dessert made with fruit and cream.
A whim-wham is a traditional 18th century Scottish dessert similar to an English trifle, except without the custard and layering. It’s a light, boozy combination of sponge pieces soaked in Sherry, whisky or another alcohol, covered in jam and topped with whipped cream and toasted nuts.
