Berry Season is in full swing.  A handful of fresh berries is the best way to eat them..full of sunshine,
natural sugar, and plenty of things that really are good for you.  Let's end this nutritional lecture right
here.  One of the tastiest and easiest berry desserts to make is an old English recipe, known as
the FOOL.  It's purest form is made with Gooseberries..not the most popular berry in America. You
can adapt this recipe with any of the seasonal berries which are flooding our markets and farm stands
now.  This picture above is of a blueberry stand at the Red Bank New Jersey Farmer's Market.  Cer-
tainly, you can use strawberries, raspberries(particularly great in this recipe), blackberries, etc.  A
fool is simply whipped cream (ok, liking it already I'm sure), sugar, and some extract or flavoring.
In the Medieval days, when this dessert was invented, RoseWater was used to flavor the cream.
In this recipe I made for dessert tonight, I used a good Hawaiian Vanilla extract, but any PURE
Vanilla extract will do.  Don't skimp with your wallet here...Imitation vanilla (ie: chemicals that taste
"like" vanilla) is much cheaper, but how much vanilla are you using to cook with every day?  Did
you think about it?  OK, then...that expensive little bottle of pure vanilla has so much concentrated
vanilla flavor in it, you will only have to use a few drops for maximum deliciousness.  In this ever
cautious world we live in, where we are being made more aware of how and where our food comes
from and is made, I don't get it when people pour a chem labs worth of solution into their food. 
Health issues or concerns aside....real Vanilla is an intoxicating flavor that is not matched by those
imitation versions. 
So, to make a "Fool" out of your berries...wait, you're asking what does it taste like?  The matching of
whipped cream with sour cream and fruit produces a bowl of what could be described as a de-
constructed cheese cake.  Without the fuss of baking.  I paired it with a crumble of graham crackers,
mini marshmallows, some melted milk chocolate, and a few chocolate chips. 
Whip a pint of heavy cream with a 2 tsp. of sugar, 1/2 tsp. of good vanilla, and a pinch of ground
cinnamon till stiff peaks form.  Fold in 1/2 cup of Sour Cream till well blended.  Add 1 pt. of rinsed and
dried blueberries and 1/2 pt. of blackberries (mix and match your berries to your taste and their
availability).  Let this chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Crumble 1 cup of graham crackers and combine with 1/8 cup mini marshmallows, and 1 tsp. of
chocolate chips. In a Double boiler, over simmering water, melt 2 tsp. of the chips.  When melted
add the crackers, marshmallows and heat till blended and the marshmallows have just started to
melt.  Turn out onto a plate and let them cool.  Serve a nice scoop of the cream and fruit with the
graham cracker crumble on the side, garnish the crumble with more chips, and sprinkle the cream
with some Maui Sugar, or any raw sugar (like Sugar in the Raw).  Serve, this should make 4-6
dessert servings.
Mr. T says "I pity the Fool...", A Food Obsession says, "I pity anyone who doesn't attempt making a Fool".
Enjoy the seasonal foods in your area..like berries.