Elizabeth and I went to the farmers market yesterday. I always like going there. One of the farmers had gooseberries. I've always wanted to try them, ever since I saw Snow White and heard her refer to gooseberry pie. They also show up a lot in other children's books. I got a half flat for $12. I used half of them to make a gooseberry pie. The other half I'll use to make some gooseberry jam. I'll make it tomorrow.
The pie was good, although a little tarter than I expected. Gooseberries are quite tart, but with all the sugar, I expected them to be sweeter. The crust I made was a little tough too. We also wanted to dig in right away, while it was warm. It is supposed to cool, which allows it to congeal more and make nicer looking slices. All in all, for the first pie I've ever made, it turned out quite good. After I make the jam, I'll let you know how my first attempt at jam goes.
Here is the recipe I used for the pie. I got it from the farmer I got the gooseberries from.
Gooseberry Pie
Makes 8 servings. Takes 1 hour.
Ingredients
- Pastry for 9 inch double-crust pie (I used one from the pillsbury cook book. I added a little too much water.)
- 4 cups fresh or frozen gooseberries
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon light cream or milk
- Sugar (about 2 teaspoons)
Preparation
- Prepare and roll out pastry for a double crust pie.
- In a medium saucepan, combine berries and 1 tablespoon water. Cook over medium-low heat till the berries "pop", stirring occasionally.
- Combine the sugar, the flour and netmeg; add to the gooseberries in the saucepan. Cook and stir till mixture just begins to bubble.
- Spread mixture on the pastry lined pie pan. Add the top crust. Seal and flute edge. Cut slits for steam to escape. Brush top crust with cream or milk. Sprinkle with the sugar. Cover the edge of the pie with foil.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for another 20 minutes or till top is golden. Cool.
