After the rather wet start to the summer, I
was beginning to think that this year’s gooseberries were never going to
arrive. Then we had that glorious stint of hot weather. Now we have so many
gooseberries and other soft fruit, we barely know what to do with them. Well here's one thing, just as mackerel is in season. I like Jane’s introduction to this recipe:
On May
26th, 1796, Parson Woodforde [we have met him
in the blog before, see here] and his neice, Nancy, had for their dinner ‘a
couple of maccerel boiled and stewed gooseberries and a leg of mutton roasted’.
In other years, they were not so lucky; the gooseberries did not always ripen
for the arrival of the first spring mackerel.
Ms Grigson’s recipe is a very simple one indeed:
Begin by topping and tailing 8 ounces of gooseberries and then melt an ounce of butter in a pan. Add the gooseberries,
cover with a lid and cook until soft. I love how they go from vivid green to an
almost straw-yellow when heated.
Use your wooden spoon to crush the berries on
the side of the pan to form a rough purée, you could, if you are so inclined,
pass them through a sieve to produce a smooth sauce. I don’t see the point in
these things normally; it’s not like gooseberry seeds are particularly
offensive.
The tart flavour of the gooseberries is cut
with either ¼ pint of double cream
or béchamel sauce. I went for the
latter for health’s and money’s sake. Taste the sauce and add a little sugar, if needed, don’t make it sweet
like an apple sauce for pork.
That’s it! Very simple and not just for
mackerel either, but other oily fish, roast duck, pork, lamb, veal and – no surprises
– goose.
#380 Gooseberry
Sauce for Mackerel. A triumph of good, simple cooking. The creaminess of
the béchamel did a great job of wrapping its way around those tart
gooseberries, so much so that only a pinch of sugar was required. I could eat
it all on its no problem! 8.5/10
Ho there! I'm delighted to read a review of this recipe, as I had always avoided it on the basis of a flour thickened sauce detracting from the tart joy of gooseberries. I should be less ready to judge, and more willing to trust La Grigsonne. I offer in penance, and verbatim, the sauce I have always used in its stead, from the Fruit Book:
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That last sentence is vintage Grigson - any other writer would have included it 'above', but J.G. clips it on the side to make sure it is not forgotten, knowing that the detail is what makes a success of the thing.
So pleasing as always to read your blog, hope things keep going well!
J.M.
Thanks for the comment - and the recipe. I have the Fruit Book, but haven't noticed the sauce in that recipe included horseradish which sounds fantastic. I shall definitely have to try it and report it on the 'other blog'....
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