Gooseberry and Orange Pudding

I finally found some gooseberries in a supermarket, Waitrose had some. I love Waitrose for their fruit as it seems to last a lot longer than other supermarkets, I don't mind paying that little bit extra if I know I'm going to eat it all and not chuck half of it out. Back to the pudding, delicious, lovely and fruity and just the right fruit to pudding ratio.

Gooseberry and Orange Pudding

(from Great British Puddings - The Pudding Club)

(Serves 6)

900g gooseberries, topped and tailed

2 tbsp brown sugar

finely grated zest 1 orange

few drops vanilla essence

175g butter, softened

175g caster sugar

3 large eggs

175g self-raising flour

Preheat the oven to 200C and grease a medium sized ovenproof baking dish. Put the gooseberries into the dish and sprinkle with the sugar, orange zest and vanilla essence.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Sift in the flower and stir until incorporated. Spread the mixture over the gooseberries and bake for 40-50 mins until the sponge is golden. Serve with custard or ice cream.

Gooseberry and Almond Pudding

This was a really yummy pudding. I got some gooseberries from a pick your own farm near my parents. I have a gooseberry bush but as I only bought it this year it won't fruit until next year, so in the meantime I had to get my gooseberry hit! The combination with the almonds was delicious. I doubled the pudding mixture as it didn't look enough but there wasn't enough fruit, so next time I'd double the fruit too.

Gooseberry and Almond Pudding (from Great British Puddings)

(Serves 4)

250g gooseberries, topped and tailed

110g caster sugar

60g unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

30g self-raising flour

30g ground almonds

Preheat the oven to 170C. Put the gooseberries into an oven-proof baking dish and sprinkle with 50g of the sugar.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and remaining 60g sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Soft in the flour and fold this into the mixture, along with the almonds. Cover the gooseberries with this mixture.

Bake the pudding in the oven for 40-50 mins until the sponge is golden brown and has risen. Serve.

Mackerel with Gooseberry Sauce

I went to Nottingham for the day in the summer with my Mum to see a couple of friends, who gave us a huge bag of gooseberries from their allotment. I don't think I've ever eaten gooseberries before and all I really knew about them was that they were exceptionally tart and so I stayed away. For dinner that night my Mum made Mackerel with Gooseberry Sauce and I have to say I was dubious. I took a tiny teaspoonful to start with but once the taste hit my mouth I was won over. The sauce was amazing, lovely and sweet and it went perfectly with the gooseberries cutting through the oily fish. I also made the sauce to go with herrings, which I ate earlier this week and that worked just as well.

Mackerel with Gooseberry Sauce (from Leiths Fish Bible)
(Serves 4)

4 mackerel

for the gooseberry sauce
340g gooseberries
30g caster sugar
30g butter
pinch ground ginger

Preheat the grill.

Clean the mackerel, cut off the fins and make 2-3 diagonal slashes into the flesh through the skin.

Prepare the gooseberry sauce: top and tail the berries and place them in a saucepan with a little water and the sugar, simmer until tender.

Push the gooseberries through a sieve. Beat in the butter and ginger and taste for sweetness. Add more sugar if they are too tart.

Grill the mackerel for about 5 mins on each side, depending on the size, or until cooked.

Serve the mackerel and serve the sauce separately in a  jug.