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Stewed Gooseberries

Stewed gooseberries simmered in a sugar syrup until tender, then served cold.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Stewed Gooseberries

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the gooseberries

  1. Pick over the gooseberries, removing tops and stems.

  2. Boil the gooseberries in fast-boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain.

  3. Soak the gooseberries in cold water for 2 minutes, then drain again.

Make the syrup and stew

  1. In a pot, combine sugar and cold water, and bring to a boil.

  2. Skim off any scum that rises until the syrup is clear.

  3. Add the gooseberries to the syrup and stew until tender, but do not let them break.

  4. Remove the gooseberries from the syrup and place them in a glass or china dish.

  5. Boil the syrup until it slightly jellies when cooled on a saucer.

Serve

  1. Pour the syrup over the gooseberries and serve cold.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Gooseberries
Form the main body of the dish, softening into tender fruit when stewed gently.
Sugar
Provides sweetness and, when boiled, thickens the syrup so it can set slightly.

The step that matters

Stew the gooseberries gently until tender but not broken. Rapid boiling or rough stirring splits the skins and breaks the fruit apart. A gentle simmer lets the fruit soften while its skin stays intact, so the berries hold their shape in the syrup.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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