This fruit is a member of the magnificent edible family of nightshades. I first discovered the Cape Gooseberry in my local co-op as a wrinkly, dried orange berry under the name of Goldenberry—its dried pseudonym. These little bursts of tangy flavor go both ways—savory and sweet. I also found them addictive and expensive so I decided that I would try to grown them.
There is some debate as to the origin of these husked South American fruits. However a few sources say they are actually native to Brazil and naturalized in Peru and Chile a long time ago. In South America they have many colloquial names including the most common capuli. So why Cape? And why Gooseberry? Or even a berry—of which, they have no botanical relation too. English settlers brought this fruit to the Cape of Good Hope in Africa in the early part of the 19th century.
It was commercially cultivated and is still a common crop. It is canned whole or made into jam. Later in the century the seeds went with settlers to Australia. These little berries have many tiny seeds and reminded the English of their gooseberries at home.
But it seems nobody is quite happy with that name and you will also see these same fruits labeled Peruvian Ground Cherry, Husk Cherry, or Poha—Hawaiian they are naturalized there as well. In this effort to pack these nutritionally packed antioxidant berries into our grocery bags there is another name, perhaps an attempt to rebrand, introducing…the Pichuberry. They have their own flavor. To me they do taste orange—not like the citrus fruit but like I imagine the color tasting.
They are tart but also sweet like a pineapple. As soon as I think I found a flavor it becomes elusive. The dried berries have a wonderful tart zing and I tend to put them in fermented recipes—like this Sweet, Sour, and Spicy Beet Salad.
These plants are perennials in tropical climates just like the tomato and annuals in temperate climates. The Central European Journal of Biology published an article that identifies the antioxidant content of blueberries and Cape gooseberries to be relatively similar. However, Cape gooseberries were found to have a greater antioxidant capacity: this means that Cape gooseberries have a higher ability to be absorbed into our bodies and clean free radicals from our blood and cells.
The amazing antioxidant capacity of Cape gooseberries also contribute to their long shelf life and resistance to disease and pests. Cheers to plenty of vitamins A and C! A berry this complex in flavor and nutrients can make your head spin with questions: What do I make with it? What ingredients does it pair with? Should it go in something sweet or savory?
Sure, they're not on the same level of 'what is the meaning of life' questions, but they still pose a bit of a challenge for the everyday cook or baker. Well, Cape gooseberries are most known for being an ingredient used for salsa , chutneys, and jams —chunky sauce stuff, check.
Easy Food Smith has an awesome recipe for a sweet and simple Cape gooseberry jam I'd recommend any day. Meanwhile, the internet—which has just about every berry recipe you can cram down your throat—falls quite short when it comes to Cape gooseberries. To further investigate whether or not Cape gooseberries work with typical berry baking recipes, I conducted a baking experiment of my own.
I decided on Cape gooseberry scones, because who doesn't love a good scone? The scones were made using a recipe for cornmeal blueberry scones by Better Homes and Gardens.
I simply subbed the blueberries out for perfectly ripe Cape gooseberries. Please note that I used lemon zest and lemon juice in place of the lime in the recipe. These scones were made according to the steps in the recipe.
They were mixed in one bowl—making cleanup a snap—and only took about 10 minutes to put together. I decided to keep the Cape gooseberries whole, but you're welcome to slice them in half before adding them to the dough. Their vibrancy is cleansing, and opens up the palate after the savory courses.
I enjoy a mostarda mantovana which is usually made with fruit like mele cotogne quince , but also infused with mustard essence, sugar, and lemon.
The condiment is almost like candied gooseberries with a spice kick from the mustard flavor. It's a three day process but minimal effort—the key is to leave the gooseberries overnight in a sugar and lemon mixture to macerate. You cover the fruit again with the reduced hot liquid and let it sit for another 24 hours, repeating again one final time.
Both items are delicious with some Northern Italian cheeses and great for impressing your guests! The sweet and tart flavor of gooseberries is tailor-made for chutney and the high proportion of natural pectin in the fruit makes the chutney set up to the perfect jammy consistency. We pair it with thin slices of American country ham. The sweet, tart, spiced chutney works perfectly with the funky, salty ham. We also ferment them from time to time. We use them in dinner dishes often at Redbird; our current duck set has gooseberries on it.
They are cut in half and served as a sour counterpart to the duck, and the accompanying sauce is made with prickly pear. There are two ways I like to use them. The first is lightly grilling them to give a little smoke and a blister of the outer skin, which removes some of the tartness and adds depth. Another way is using them raw, sliced thin with a sharp knife in a crudo of Hakkaido scallops. They are served just as they are.
Guests peel back the husk and for a lot of people, it is the first time that they are experiencing a gooseberry so it feels adventurous and like they are unwrapping something new.
In that preparation, they almost tasted like a raisin and had a similar texture to a dried goji berry. At home, I eat them with labneh and granola. At Galit, we cook down some of the blueberries into a compote, puree it, and toss whole blueberries in the compote. We make a lemon verbena granita and put that on top of the blueberries with a sprinkle of fresh ground coriander seeds on top.
They give the dish a surprising savory and acidic pop, much like preserved lemon would.
0コメント