Do you have a little bit of whipping cream dying a slow death in your fridge? (Maybe the perfect amount to whip in a french press?) A fool is one of the quickest, easiest, and most awesomely named desserts we know. If you've got some whipping cream, you really only need two more things.
Sugar and fruit! That's it.
Now, the recipe pictured above (and linked below) calls for more than three ingredients, illustrating the fact that your fool can get fancy, if you fancy fancy fools. However, it really can be as simple as this:
1. Simmer some chopped, fresh fruit with a bit of sugar until it's soft and syrupy.
2. Whip some cream. Add a bit of sugar to gently sweeten it.
3. Let the fruit cool, then fold it into the whipped cream, creating pretty swirls and ribbons.
Fools look beautiful in small, clear glass dishes. It's easy to make one or two for a quiet night at home. We're planning one tonight with some of the season's first peaches.
• Here's our review of a Rhubarb Fool from Martha Stewart that really does call for just three ingredients. And it was hot pink!
• And here's the fancier Rhubarb Fool from Epicurious, pictured above.
Related: Whipping Cream or Egg Whites: A Visual Guide to Soft, Firm, and Stiff Peaks
(Image: Sara Remington)
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I've actually used fools as a failsafe when my attempts at stewing fruit have taken a bad turn (I haven't quite figured out how to make my gas range tell the difference between "simmer" and "boil like hell").
The name seems all the more apt -- because it's what I do when I'm too much of a fool to stew fruit properly.
You have peaches already?!?
Why yes, I DO have some whipping cream sitting lonely at the back of the fridge...
I've been adding one more ingredient: crumbled meringues (the vanilla meringue cookies from Trader Joe's are perfect), and making Eton Mess. I'm totally addicted.
I love fools. When I lived in the UK in a house with a big beautifully tended garden my two faves were gooseberry and black currant. The color of the latter is beyond belief--purply red. But you really can't go wrong with any fruit.
I'm wondering if very mature plantains cooked in the microwave (to avoid frying) would work...
I also like my fool inside of a pastry tart. I like the taste better than bavarian cream. Great for A-Team parties! I'm also visualizing a glass cup filled w/ the ktchn's banana ice cream, another layer of raw chocolate moose, and finally a layer of the fool on top. yum
It turns out that I bring these to work sometimes (I didn't know there was a particular name for it).
I pour the cream in a jar before I leave, then shake it up and add the berries while in the office. Easy-peasy! (And the whipped cream doesn't get all wilty like it would if I'd whipped it at home)