Blackberry Fool

Mr B and I arrived at Mum and Dad's for dinner on Tuesday night and as usual we were ushered out of the kitchen to our spots at the dining room table. Having a night where I don't have to cook tea is lovely so I take the opportunity to sit and read the paper and catch up with Mum and Dad whilse Mr B spends his time trying to figure out what is in the pots bubbling on the stove and how to get at the secret desserts hidden in the fridge....

This is the vegetarian butter chicken we had for dinner (with spinach, mushrooms, potatoes and soy meat in place of chicken), topped with fried paneer and served with polenta and cheese toasties! I have never thought of frying the paneer before putting it in a curry before and it just added a whole new layer of texture that I just loved. And I think the paneer toasties are a brilliant idea - think cheese sandwiched between two slices of polenta....and then grilled till it was nice and golden and toasty - to me that sounds perfect to have with a big bowl of steaming winter soup or stew...or in this case - curry!

And this is the magical creation Mum and Dad whipped up for dessert - Blackberry Fool. The tartness of the blackberries paired with the sweetness of the creamy vanilla yoghurt is a match made in heaven.

We rarely have blackberries and that is definitely something I plan to fix because they were awesome and I have so many ideas for things I'd love to bake with them!

For the Blackberry Fool you will need:

300g thawed frozen blackberries
1/4 cup caster sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup water
300 ml thickened cream
1.5 cups vanilla yoghurt
Whipped Cream and Chocolate and Vanilla Wafers to serve

In a saucepan over low heat, combine the blackberries, sugar, lemon zest and water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 minutes or until berries are soft. Allow to cool and then blend until smooth. Place in the fridge to chill for 30 mins.

Beat the cream using an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gently fold through the vanilla yoghurt.

Gently fold 2-3 tbspns of the blackberry puree through the yoghurt mixture to create swirls.

In a glass, layer the yoghurt mixture with the remaining blackberry puree. Top with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate wafers.

Serves 4 - and enjoy!

Next Friday I'm off to hospital for a small procedure and whilst it may be classified as 'minor day surgery,' to me it still very much involves the word surgery and is still very scary. I mean if it was so 'minor' why have they given me 7-10 days off work to recover? And yes, a week off work will be lovely and peaceful in theory, but it's the reality of it that bothers me.....will I be in pain? will I be bored? will the surgery go Ok? Is this just the beginning?

In case you didn't know, I think too much.

Because my Dad will be at a conference interstate next week and we won't be doing our weekly dinner, Mum and Dad presented me with a 'going to hospital' pack to get me through that week at home. It included 3 of my favourite magazines, some coffee, some milk and honey brioche to dunk in said coffee, my favourite lollies and a Panda Bear heat pack. I was obsessed with Pandas when I was younger and this lil guy is just adorable - perfect to keep me company while I lie on the couch, reading magazines, drinking coffee, eating brioche and eyeing off the lollies.

I never would have thought of giving someone a pack like this but it meant the world to me last night and I just think it is the loveliest idea. I am very lucky to be surrounded by such caring and thoughtful people and I think it's that that makes me think everything is going to be Ok.

Mrs B xx