Gooseberry Shrub
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When tomatoes are out of season, I like to use cape gooseberries in my caprese salad. Cape gooseberries or golden berries as they’re also known, are a relative of the tomato, but are more closely related to a tomatillo. They have an amazing sweet and tart flavor that is a mix between sweet and savory. They kind of taste like a cherry tomato mixed with mango. They were the main inspiration to my caprese-ish cocktail that combines gooseberry shrub, basil, gin and burrata to make a mighty fine cocktail.
To make the shrub, I hulled a pint of cape gooseberries. Then cut them into quarters to provide more surface area for maceration.
Once the gooseberries have been hulled and quartered, transfer them into a wide and shallow container and weigh them. Cover them with about 3/4 the amount of sugar by weight. I don’t use a 1:1 ratio on gooseberries because they don’t macerate as well as other fruits due to the skin is not being very porous.
I like to stir them a bit with the sugar to make sure they are coated well- then just let them sit in the fridge for a day or two until all or most of the sugar has dissolved.
Once the syrup has formed, strain off the gooseberry solids and funnel the syrup into a jar. The residual gooseberries make an excellent jam, and I’m sure they would be excellent in a pie too.
One pint of macerated gooseberries yielded a half cup of syrup. To the syrup, add 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar- give it a shake to combine, and the shrub is ready to go.
For a faster version- you can add the sugar and quartered gooseberries straight into a pot and heat until the sugar has dissolved then add the vinegar, but I think the flavor is cleaner when you cold macerate.
I like really tart shrubs, but if it’s a bit too tart for your taste, let it mellow out in the fridge for a day or two. Even after just a day the acid should subside. This was excellent in my caprese-ish cocktail, and it works really great in a pisco sour as well.
For more shrub recipes, check out my strawberry shrub and zero waste mango shrub posts.
Gooseberry Shrub:
1 pint of gooseberries- hulled and quartered
130g sugar
Let gooseberries and sugar macerate for 24-48 hours.
Method:
Strain syrup and combine with 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar.
Tartness will mellow over time, so add more or less vinegar if you like.
Bottle and store in the fridge for up to 6 months.
