“Fool,” a teasing title for a puréed dessert, sounds like a culinary insult but is derived from the French “fouler,” to press or sieve—precisely what it takes to make this dessert. Other tart fruits are also good, such as
raspberries
and poached rhubarb.
Yields 4 servings
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons kirsch or lemon juice
Small bunch of chosen herb (about 1 ounce)
¼ cup sugar, or more to taste
½ pound strawberries
½ cup plain yogurt
Chill the cream, bowl and whisk in the freezer for about 5 to 10 minutes before starting. Also chill four large stemmed glasses in the refrigerator. Put the cream in the chilled bowl and whisk until it holds a soft peak when the whisk is lifted. Reserve four herb sprigs for decoration. Chop the remaining herb leaves, discarding the stems. Hull the strawberries and purée two-thirds in a food processor or blender. Stir in the kirsch or lemon juice and sugar to taste. Slice the remaining berries, reserving two of the best for topping and stir in the chopped herb. Add the purée to the cream and fold the two together lightly but thoroughly to make the fool. As you fold, the cream will thicken a little because of the acid in the purée. Stir in the yogurt. To assemble the dessert, spoon the fool into the chilled glasses, filling them about one-third full. Sprinkle with the sliced berries. Add more fool, then a second layer of berries. Fill with the remaining fool and top each glass with an herb sprig and half a whole berry.
