Simple Blueberry Fool Food

BLUEBERRY FOOLS

Steps:

• Make the blueberry sauce: Heat 1 1/2 cups blueberries, 1/4 cup sugar and the salt in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbling. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest and juice; remove from the heat. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup blueberries and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
• Beat the heavy cream in a bowl with a mixer or whisk until soft peaks just begin to form. Beat in the vanilla and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Gently fold all but 1/3 cup of the blueberry sauce into the whipped cream. Divide among glasses and top with the remaining blueberry sauce. Serve with cookies.

BLUEBERRY FOOL

Steps:

• Combine blueberries, lemon juice, cinnamon, 4 tablespoons sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until blueberries burst and become very soft, about 8 minutes. Transfer mixture to a food processor and puree. Pour into a fine sieve set over a bowl, stirring and pressing on solids to remove as much liquid as possible. Discard solids and refrigerate puree until cold and thickened slightly, at least 1 hour and, covered with plastic wrap, up to 1 day.
• Whisk or beat cream with remaining 3 tablespoons sugar to soft peaks in a large, wide bowl. Drizzle puree evenly over cream and fold cream over puree twice with a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon just until puree is streaked throughout cream. (Do not overmix.) Transfer to a large serving bowl or individual serving dishes and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours and, covered with plastic wrap, up to 1 day. Serve cold.

BLUEBERRY FOOL

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine blueberries,water, maple syrup and herbs.
• Bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring constantly until the liquid has thickened and berries have popped, about 3-5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and transfer into a heat-proof bowl or measuring cup and purée using an immersion blender. You can also transfer into a standing blender and purée until smooth.
• Refrigerate until completely chilled.
• Make Berry Cream.
• Whip cream, sugar and salt in a standing mixer or large bowl until stiff peaks form and it starts to look a little lumpy (this is generally considered "over-whipped").
• Pour in 1/2 cup of chilled bb syrup (reserve remainder for the assembly), and whip on high to incorporate.
• Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the bowl, then whisk one more time to assure that streaks don't remain.
• Assemble.
• Distribute the remaining berries between 4 serving bowls or glasses.
• Dollop the berry cream over top of each, and drizzle with remaining berry syrup. Finish with an herb garnish. Serve cold.
• Note: the syrup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for a week, and the berry cream can be made and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. You can assemble the fools ahead of time in the serving vessels minus the syrup and garnish, covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

BLUEBERRY AND GOOSEBERRY FOOLS

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large skillet on medium heat, and add berries and sugar. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved and berries have softened, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and lightly squash fruit with the back of a wooden spoon. Don't mash to a puree; some texture should remain. Cool completely in the refrigerator before proceeding.
• Whip cream to soft but not stiff peaks. Gently fold the cream into the cooled fruit mixture, leaving the mixture marbled. Serve immediately in individual bowls.

SIMPLE BLUEBERRY FOOL

Steps:

• Heat 1 cup blueberries, sugar, and thyme in a small saucepan until berries just begin to burst. Remove from heat, stir in remaining berries, and let cool completely.
• Layer 1/4 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup meringue pieces, and 1/4 cup berry mixture in 4 shallow bowls. Garnish with thyme and serve immediately.