Fresh & delicious gooseberry and elderflower custards are studded with tangy, juicy and delicious berries for a simple & sweet summer dessert.
My daughter Kipper and I have been whizzing up and down the country between home and my parents’ house quite a lot recently. And almost every time we stop in the Farm shop in Catthorpe village. It sells all sorts of delicious, in-season, local vegetables and fruit, and this time we were lucky enough to get some freshly-picked juicy strawberries, and a punnet of delicious, ripe and fragrant gooseberries.
Delicious gooseberries
I love gooseberries – they are tangy, floral, sweet, scented and generally fabulous! However DH is less of a fan. I think it’s because he’s diabetic, and the sharp and tangy nature of the gooseberry tends to mean that you need a decent dose of sugar to make them palatable. On the plus side, it means I can make whatever I like with them. He’s not going to eat them anyway!
Creamy gooseberry and elderflower custards
This time, I decided to make some simple baked custards. I flavoured the creamy custards with elderflower, which brings out the gooseberries’ floral flavours. The gooseberry and elderflower custards were studded with whole berries. They softened and released some juices into the custards, but held their shape during the baking.
Creamy, sweet & fruity
I thought these gooseberry and elderflower custards were gorgeous – creamy, sweet, fragrant and fruity. My only regret was that I didn’t make them bigger! So far, every time I’ve had one, I’ve had to have a second straight after. Next time, I’ll use larger cups!
Kipper enjoyed the custard part but thought the gooseberries were “too sour”. I hope she’ll grow into them as she gets a bit older and her tastes develop.
A delicious seasonal dessert for Summer
Enjoy these simple to make gooseberry and elderflower custards while the gooseberries are in season – they’ll be over before you know it. Eat them in the garden for a real summer treat.
This made 8 little baked gooseberry custards, which is 4 servings.
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📖 Recipe
Baked gooseberry and elderflower custards
Ingredients
- 250 g gooseberries
- 100 ml single cream
- 1 egg
- 35 g caster sugar
- 2 teaspoon neat elderflower cordial
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- 250 g (8 ⅚ oz) gooseberriesTop and tail the gooseberries, wash them, and divide them between 8 silicon cupcake cases.
- 100 ml (3/7 cups) single cream, 1 egg, 35 g (⅙ cups) caster sugar, 2 teaspoon neat elderflower cordialWhisk the remaining ingredients together and carefully pour over the gooseberries. The cups should be just over ¾ full.
- Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 15-18 minutes until the custards are just set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before eating.
Nutrition
More delicious gooseberry recipes
Other delicious recipes using gooseberries include these silky gin and gooseberry jellies, and this delicious homemade gooseberry jam.
I’m adding this recipe to Ren Behan’s Simple & In Season linky.
Lots of lovely summer recipes to see there!
It’s always lovely to cook with ingredients that come directly from the growers, so I’m also joining the Shop Local challenge, hosted by Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary, since these delicious gooseberries were grown (and bought) not too far away!
Elizabeth
I’ve had a gooseberry bush in my garden for 7 years now, and this year is the first time I’ve seen fruit on it. There are about five berries, but I am going to enjoy every single one of them! Your pud looks fantastic – thank you for linking up with Shop Local 🙂
FFF
Ooh, envious of your gooseberry bush – even if it’s only just starting to earn its keep! Thanks for hosting Shop Local 🙂