Sticky Gooseberry Sauce for the Soul

wildschwein's Note:

This gooseberry compote, or jam (which i turns into when refrigerated) is a great way of extending and preserving our small but delicious gooseberry crops during the year. This is fantastic as an icecream topping, served atop pancakes, or spread in the centre of a sponge cake along with thick cream! So versatile and very easy to make!

• Total Time: 27 mins
• Prep Time: 2 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 1 small jar

• 1 cup raw sugar
• 1 cup whole cape gooseberries
• 2 tablespoons pineapple juice or 2 tablespoons apple juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Put all ingredients in a small saucepan and turn hotplate onto its highest heat.
2. Use a fork or potato masher to squish down on gooseberries. Keep doing this occasionally until the mixture comes to the boil. (We do not want the gooseberries to be completely pulverised, but we do want to help release their flavour, and help the skins to cook down/soften).
3. When the mixture has come to the boil, turn the hotplate down by half. Continue stirring occasionally so as to prevent burning.
4. Keep it on this heat for 5 minutes, before turning down by half again. Leave it on this heat for 5 minutes, continuing to stir occasionally.
5. Turn it down by half again, letting it gently simmer for an additional 10 minutes, stirring now and then to make sure it is cooking down appropriately. When the skins of the gooseberries appear translucent - similar to the appearance of the skins of glace cherries - and the liquid has reduced and appears to be sticky/coat the back of a spoon, take saucepan off the heat.
6. Spoon mixture into a small, clean glass jar.
7. Attach lid of jar, screwing it on tight. Carefully tip the jar upside down so the scorching hot jam creates a natural heat seal (effectively sterilizing top of jar/lid).
8. Allow to cool for 20 mins, then open jar and spoon compote over dessert of your choice.
9. Re-seal jar and refrigerate for future use.

Reviews

[Kana]

This is so delicious! I appreciated that it is written for a small number of gooseberries as that is all we can pick at one time. I used water instead of the juice and it worked fine. I put it over salmon with lemon zest and dill and my familiy loved it. Tomorrow we will try it with biscuits--mmmmmmm!