Berry delicious dessert

FRESH AND CREAMY: Rhubarb and raspberry fool.

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Blackberries rambling over stone walls and raspberries growing wild along fencelines are some of my enduring memories of Ireland.

Things may have changed but in 1999 poisoning any food growing wild was unthinkable to the Irish.

Cafes had dishes and preserves made with "wild" plums, and "gathered" berries, and there was astonishment that anyone would doubt the provenance.

So in memory of some good Irish cooks I have known . . . rhubarb and raspberry fool and a blackberry sorbet.

The rhubarb is from my garden, the raspberries from a freezer, and the blackberries from the supermarket. Such is the 21st century.

Castle Adare rhubarb and raspberry fool

Adare Manor in County Limerick is now a golfing resort, established in what was once the grounds of the local castle. This dessert is similar to one served in the main dining room of the Manor. Makes 4 servings.

6-7 stalks of rhubarb, sliced

1/4 cup jam sugar

1/2 small orange, zested

Sugar syrup:

1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water

1 cup frozen raspberries

7g packet of gelatin

3/4 cup hot water

1/2 cup creme fraiche

1/2 cup cream

Cover the sliced rhubarb with the jam sugar (helps the jelly to set) and the orange zest and leave at least 12 hours. Make the sugar syrup by dissolving the sugar in the water and simmering briskly until the mixture is syrupy. Add the sugared rhubarb and continue to boil for a further 10 or so minutes or until the rhubarb is tender. Add the raspberries all at once and take off the heat. Sprinkle the gelatin over the three-quarter cup of hot water and stir until dissolved, then add to the rhubarb/raspberry mixture. Divide between four parfait glasses leaving room for the topping. Put the leftover fruit mixture in a cup. Refrigerate the cup and glasses until the jelly is set. Beat the cream and creme fraiche until thick, stir through the contents of the cup of jelled fruit and pile on top of the jelly in the parfait glasses. Can be made ahead.

Blackberry sorbet

Wild blackberries are almost a thing of the past in rural New Zealand, but the berries grown commercially have two advantages: they come ready-to- go in punnets not still attached to prickly bushes, and they have fewer seeds than the old varieties. Making a sorbet is a no- brainer if you have an icecream machine, but even if you have to stir frequently during the freezing process, the rich colour and smooth, sharp taste of this sorbet makes it worthwhile. Serves 4

500g fresh blackberries, cleaned and destalked

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

2 egg whites

Put the whole berries in a food processor and whizz until mushed. Push this semi-liquid through a sieve to de-seed it. Make the sugar syrup by dissolving sugar in water, then boiling briskly for about 7 minutes; the liquid should be syrupy. Add the mushy blackberries and continue to boil for a minute or two longer. Leave this berry syrup to cool. Beat the egg white until very stiff. Fold the cold berry syrup through the whites. Now either freeze as instructed in an icecream machine or put in a shallow tray and freeze until crystals form around the outside, remove, beat smooth and return to freezer. Repeat this procedure three times. Freeze until required. Serve scoops of sorbet in small glasses.

- © Fairfax NZ News