In honor of Election Day, I am sharing a recipe from The White House Cookbook by Janet Halliday Ervin. This recipe is from Abigail Adams, the wife of our second President, John Adams. She truly was the first lady as the Adams were the first occupants of the White House.
RASPBERRY FOOL
Put your fruit into an oven for quarter of an hour. When tender, pulp it through a sieve, sugar it, add the crumbs of sufficient sponge cake to thicken it. Put into a glass mould or into custard cups and lay some thick cream on top. If for immediate use, the cream may be beaten up with the fruit. Other light berries and fruit may be treated in the same way.
I have modified the recipe slightly, this is about 4 servings.
1 pound fresh raspberries
1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 sprigs of mint, for garnish
Add the berries to an oven safe dish and place in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 minutes.
Press through a fine-meshed sieve. Mix the fruit with 1/4 cup sugar and set aside.
Meanwhile, beat cream together until soft peaks form. Add remaining sugar and vanilla and continue beating until just stiff. Remove 1/2 cup of the whipped cream for garnish.
Fold sugared fruit into cream. Put into individual serving dishes and refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.
Serve by garnishing with a dollop of the reserved cream and a sprig of mint.
