Fresh Berry Fool – It Would be a Pity Not to Make This for Labor Day

There are like a thousand approved ways to combine sweet cream and fresh fruit, but this gorgeous fool may be my favorite. Of course, the easy-to-joke-about name helps, but what I really love is how surprisingly light this is. It's also very easy, which seems totally appropriate for a possible Labor Day dessert.

While certainly not light on the calorie counter, this stuff is shockingly airy on the palate. It’s that contrast between the rich, fluffy cream, and the syrupy, tangy fruit, which makes this so much greater than the sum of its parts. Fresh berries are a classic, but this would work with peeled, diced, ripe peaches.

By the way, contrary to what you heard in the introduction, this isn’t called a “fool” because it’s so ridiculously simple to make. Apparently, it comes from the French word, "fouler," which means "to mash." I guess we’ll let you decide which story to go with. I think you know which one I prefer. Either way, I really do hope you get this fool a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for four large portions:

3 cups fresh berries (raspberries, broken blackberries, quartered strawberries)

1/4 to 1/3 cup white sugar (more sugar you use the more syrup you get)

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 cup chilled heavy cream

1/4 cup crème fraiche (yogurt or sour cream maybe subbed - *if using yogurt or sour cream, stir into the cream once it’s almost fully whipped)

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup crumbled butter shortbread cookies, or vanilla wafers