This dessert may look very fancy and I placed it on a very fancy plate.
BUT: other than serving fresh fruit as is, this is among the simplest, easiest desserts ever. And you can also serve it in a plain old dish, custard cup, individual ramekin. However you wish.
The point is, you can transform this into a festive Shavuot holiday dessert just by using a lovely serving piece. The prep is a cinch.
Most of the time a fruit fool is a simple blend of crushed fruit and whipped cream (sometimes with vanilla or another extract added). The extra step of cooking the fruit and adding Balsamic vinegar gives the dish a richer, deeper flavor. Well worth the few (less than 10) minutes of time it takes.
Strawberry Fool
one pint strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange peel
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Extra berries, cookie, chocolate shavings, mint leaves, etc. for garnish
Clean the strawberries, remove the stems and chop the berries into small pieces. Place the berries and sugar in a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the Balsamic vinegar, cinnamon and orange peel and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the liquid is dark and syrupy. Remove from the heat and let cool. Whip the cream with the vanilla extract until thick. Fold the strawberry mixture into the whipped cream until well blended. Spoon the mixture onto dessert dishes (over berries or cookies, if desired). Garnish with berries, chocolate shavings, etc.
Makes 6 servings