How to make gooseberry snow – recipe

A relative of the blackcurrant, gooseberries are the quintessential domestic summer fruit. In taste, they're a cross between a grape and a raspberry, but the many varieties of gooseberry determine very different culinary uses. Green and hard, early acidic gooseberries are best cooked in compotes, jams, pickles and cordials. As the summer progresses, more varieties appear, sweeter and with a veiny flesh that yields to the touch. These are to be enjoyed as a fruit on their own.

My gooseberries were on the tart side. So with sunshine in abundance, ice-cream always on my children's minds and more than a few egg whites in reserve from previous cooking endeavours, we cooked the gooseberries and made a snow with the puree. The snow refers to the whipped egg whites, which you incorporate into the fruit puree by beating them in spoonful by spoonful. Eaten as it is, this is a tasty, if somewhat eccentric, pudding. When frozen in a plastic container, however, the snow truly does become its namesake, and is unbelievably delicious.

(Serves 4)
300g gooseberries, husks and tails removed
80g caster sugar
100ml water
3 egg whites
Bring the sugar and water to the boil in a saucepan. Add the gooseberries and simmer for 2-3 minutes until tender. Leave to cool completely.

Puree the cold gooseberries in a food processor. In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Spoonful by spoonful, add the gooseberry puree, whipping in each spoonful until incorporated into the egg whites.

Freeze in a large, shallow plastic container. It's best eaten after 2 hours in the freeze – when frozen but still scoopable.