Gooseberries and mint: both in their prime in high summer and a heavenly match on the palette. We are lucky enough to have both gooseberries and mint growing in abundance right now at Botelet, and I managed to find a moment when the gooseberry bush hadn’t just been stripped by hungry children to harvest some for breakfast!
I toyed with whether or not to share this recipe as it is so ridiculously simple; the recipes I love all have simplicity in common but this particular one takes it to a new level. And yet I know that the recipes I love to make - for their taste and for process - are the most simple. So here goes. I have called this recipe a ‘compote’ but it’s my take on it - I’ve tasted a number of gooseberry compotes that I’ve found disappointing as the gooseberries end up in a gloop that disguises the joy of their plumpness and texture. In this recipe they are softened in a frying pan along with honey, oil and mint - but be careful to cook only for a couple of minutes to retain their shape and a certain amount of ‘bite’.
As ever with my recipes this one is processed sugar free, and you can adjust the levels of honey for a sweeter tooth or if you wish to create more of the syrup.
I have used this as a compote to top breakfast pots with granola and yogurt (as pictured above), to accompany a light supper of roasted summer vegetables, as well as providing flavour and moisture within breakfast muffins - so do play around with how to use it, and I hope you enjoy.
Recipe: Gooseberry & mint compote
Serves 4 as a topping for breakfast pots
Ingredients:
200g gooseberries topped and tailed, and cut in half
1 desert spoon honey (local if possible)
8 mint leaves, torn into small pieces
Drizzle of oil eg sunflower
Optional serving suggestion: yogurt, muesli or granola & mint sprigs
Method:
Wash, top and tail the gooseberries then cut them in half.
Place a drizzle of oil in a frying pan, add the honey and warm at a low to medium heat so that the honey and oil spread over the base of the pan and are just beginning to sizzle.
Add the gooseberries, cook for about one minute until the fruit turns from translucent to a white-ish colour. Stir gently to keep the shape of the gooseberries.
Add the mint leaves and cook for a further one minute.
Remove from heat.
Serve warm, or cool then store in fridge.
It really is as simple as that!
