When my Scottish stepmother married my father, in 1963, she had a lot to learn about cooking. Once she made my father what she thought was a charming American variety of onion for dinner; they turned out to be bulbs of garlic. She's come a long way since then, providing our family with increasingly exotic taste memories influenced by years of living in Mexico and Brazil. The secret to a good fool, whatever the fruit, is to taste as you go. Some need more sugar; any fruit with little acidity benefits from a smidgen of lemon or lime juice; and more delicate flavors, like mango, require less cream.
Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr (includes chilling)
Fool is best eaten the day it is made. Refold if fruit juices begin to separate from cream. Variations (number of servings vary): • Raspberry, blackberry, or strawberry: 1 pound fresh or thawed (but cold) berries, puréed, or 1 1/2 cups unsweetened fruit purée, strained; 1/2 cup sugar; 1 1/2 cups heavy cream; 1 tablespoon lemon juice. • Guanabana (soursop) or mango: 1 (14-ounce) package thawed (but cold) unsweetened guanabana or mango purée (1 1/2 cups), or 2 mangoes (1 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and puréed; 1/2 cup sugar; 3/4 cup heavy cream; 2 tablespoons lime juice.
