Old fashioned Gooseberry Pots
This recipe is from a 16th century English cookbook and was originally used as a filling for pies. But this is good just on its own, without any pastry, served in small pots or glasses, particularly if the gooseberries are very sharp. I mix elderflower cordial into mascarpone and serve a spoonful with each little pot. An alternative – but very un-English – is to leave out the elderflower and add Pernod instead. Amazing! I serve the Pots with Ines Rosales Tortas de Aceite because they are crispy and made from simple ingredients delicately flavoured with anise seed and sesame, and they look so beautiful wrapped in their old fashioned wax paper.
Put the gooseberries in a pan with the sugar and cider and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs and cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes. The mixture will be quite thick. Take off the heat and beat in the softened butter and egg yolks. Serve topped with the mascarpone mixture or use double cream lightly whipped.
Theo Hodges
Theo Hodges was born in Kent. After a degree in Graphic Design she joined J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency as an Art Director working on accounts such as Rowntrees, Kraft and The Butter Council. While she was at University in Perugia, Italy she started collecting recipes from friends and family. In 1980 she set up her own design agency: Theo Hodges Design Consultants. For many years when they were young Theo, her sister and six cousins used to spend vacations at her Grandmother’s Victorian vicarage in Kent. ‘The thing about remembering childhood’ she says, is ‘there’s a whole lot of oblivion, and then out of it something floats up, quite sharp and clear. Many of the meals I can still see vividly and various recipes of mine were originally from Granny’s kitchen. ‘The kitchen garden was stuffed with raspberries, huge red dessert gooseberries, strawberries, runner beans, peas and much more with the hens in a shed at the back. But Granny only ate chicken breast and runner beans, followed by raspberries and Jersey cream - and therefore so did we. When raspberries were out of season, and in those days the season was much shorter, Granny made Victoria sponge cakes sandwiched with cream and home-made raspberry jam. On this limited but delicious diet we all thrived’. Theo’s mother was an excellent cook as well, and had been taught by the house- keeper at their house in Mougins, South of France. And once rationing was withdrawn in England in 1952 and good, fresh ingredients became available again, she amassed an enormous number of recipes which has formed the basis for Theo’s collection of family desserts.