Summer Fools

Fold any one of the following fruit mixtures (cooled and liquidised if you wish) into ½ pint each custard and cream mixed or custard and Greek yogurt.

1 lb gooseberries (cooked) with 2 tablespoons Elderflower cordial.

Cook 1 ½ lb Rhubarb with rind of 1 orange and 2 tablespoons orange juice. Sweeten with a little honey.

Mash 12ozs raspberries with a fork and swirl into the custard mixture and a tablespoon Crème de Cassias.

Halve and stone 2lb red-skinned plums and cook gently with 3 tablespoons Sloe Gin.

Peel and cook 1½ lbs cooking apples to a puree with ½ teaspoon ground ginger and the grated rind of 1 lemon. Put a crushed ginger biscuit in the base of each serving glass and spoon over the fruit fool.

UPDATE

Simple home made custard

500ml milk
25g caster sugar
4 eggs

Warm the milk but DO NOT let it boil.Beat the eggs and sugar and slowly add the warm milk.Strain the custard into a saucepan or into a heat-proof bowl placed over a pan of simmering water.Cook over a very gentle heat for 15-25 minutes, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens to the consistency of single cream.Stir well around the sides as well as the base of the saucepan to prevent lumps forming.Do not let the custard boil.

As soon as the custard thickens, pour it into another bowl to stop further cooking.