Nigel’s gooseberry pie

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There’s really only one reason in my book (blog?) to grow gooseberries. sure jam is nice, and i wouldn’t shake my spoon at a serious gooseberry chutney. but the reason i brought my three little gooseberry sticks home from the nursery that day (nay, first begged my neighbor who manages our local gardening shop to order them against his advice that they’re not easy to get started and maintain in our neck of the woods) four years ago and nursed them through that awful tomato blight that terrorized the land in 2010, various forms of fungus and other i-don’t-know-what-the-hell-happened-but-all-the-gooseberries’-leaves-fell-off-overnight-things. was. for. pies.

(note, that’s the first time i ever did that period after each word thing because i don’t particularly care for it, but alas, it’s warranted here. unequivocally.)

before we get into it, i feel i should say a few things directly to you peeps who think you don’t like fruit pies. at the risk of sounding ferocious, i think it’s because you haven’t had one of my fruit pies. you see, fruit pies do not need a lot of anything other than the choices of fruits, a bit of sugar and a kick-ass pie crust.

This particular pie, gooseberries, sugar, and a sweet buttery crust that melts in your mouth and unabashedly soaks up, without the least bit of sogginess, the full-fat cream that is essential to pour all over it, is perfection.  there is no sourness quite like the sourness of gooseberries, they were, i believe, created for the sheer joy of eating them with cream and crust.

let’s continue.

I call this nigel’s gooseberry pie as this summer continues my love affair with the writings of nigel slater. an english gardener-cook whose prose on life in his garden and kitchen make me swoon. and the man can make pie.

If you are not growing gooseberries, or have an extra quart or so of cream layin’ around, go to your local farmers market now and look around. you need this in your life.

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