Gooseberry trifle

Trifle is a wonderful retro-classic dessert. It may not be terribly modern, but it tastes fantastic! Trifle is usually served in glasses, but it can be served in a variety of other ways, too. The most common ingredients are berries, nuts, cream and cultured dairy products. For example, try strawberry trifle, plum trifle, apple trifle, rhubarb trifle or prune trifle. In this recipe, the vanilla cream is a half-and-half mixture of yoghurt and cream. This makes for a lovely round and fresh cream that goes perfectly with any fruit or berry.

Gooseberry compote

Rinse, hull and de-stem the gooseberries. Place the berries in a pot along with the sugar, lemon juice and any water that still clings to the berries. Cook for about 10 minutes until you have a compote, stiring occasionally to ensure everything is cooked evenly. Allow the compote to cool slightly before serving.

Vanilla cream

Split open the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds. Combine the yoghurt, lemon juice and zest, icing sugar and vanille seeds and stir until smooth and creamy. Whip the cream and carefully fold into the yoghurt mixture. Let the cream stand for 5-10 min. to bring out the flavour of the vanilla and lemon juice, adding a little extra of both to taste.

Nuts and seeds

Toast the nuts and seeds on a dry pan until they begin to colour and smell nutty – approx. 3 min. Then add the honey to the pan and stir well until all the nuts and seeds are covered and evenly caramelised. Sprinkle with a little salt and remove from the pan before the mixture scorches.
Serve the compote with vanilla cream and sprinkle with chopped caramelised nuts and seeds. The compote can also be served with a lovely ice cream or as a cold gooseberry soup with a splash of milk.