Blackberry Fool with Hazelnut Biscuits

Method16 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Heat the oven to 200°C, or 180°C fan, and line two large trays with baking paper. Roast all the blanched hazelnuts (50 g) on a tray for 6–8 minutes until golden, watching carefully to prevent burning.

   Roast hazelnuts, watch closely · 8 minUses 50 g blanched hazelnuts for biscuits

2. 2

   Step 2: Remove the roasted nuts from the oven, tip them onto a board and let them cool before chopping.

   Uses All the roasted nuts

3. 3

   Step 3: Beat the softened butter (125 g) with only the 150 g biscuit sugar until creamy. Chop the cooled nuts, wash and finely zest half the lemon, and add all those nuts and zest to the creamed mixture with the flour (150g) and baking powder (½ tsp). Keep the separate fruit sugar, extra sugar, fruit and dairy filling ingredients out of the biscuit dough.

   Uses All the cooled roasted nuts · 125 g softened butter for biscuit dough · 150 g caster sugar for biscuit dough · Zest from half a lemon · 150g Plain Flour · ½ tsp Baking Powder

4. 4

   Step 4: Stir the complete biscuit mixture together, using your hands if needed, until it forms a cohesive dough ball.

   Uses The complete biscuit mixture

5. 5

   Step 5: Divide all the dough into twenty-four equal pieces and roll them into balls. Spread the balls between the two lined trays with space to spread during baking.

   Uses All the finished biscuit dough

6. 6

   Step 6: Flatten each biscuit to about 1 cm thick. Bake one tray at a time in the heated oven for twelve minutes per tray, until very pale golden. Repeat for the second tray.

   Bake each biscuit tray separately · 12 minUses All twenty-four biscuit balls

7. 7

   Step 7: Leave all the biscuits on their trays to cool completely. They will be soft just out of the oven and crisp up as they cool.

   Uses All the baked biscuits

8. 8

   Step 8: Hold the cooled biscuits for serving. If making ahead, store them in an airtight tin and eat within five days.

   Uses All twenty-four cooled biscuits

9. 9

   Step 9: Hull and rinse all the blackberries (600g), then place them in a non-stick saucepan with only the measured 75 g fruit sugar.

   Uses 600g Blackberries · 75 g caster sugar for blackberry purée

10. 10

    Step 10: Add all the lemon juice (1 tbs) and warm gently for about two minutes until the berries start releasing juice. Lift out exactly twelve softened berries for decoration and hold them separately, leaving the remaining fruit and juices in the pan.

    Start softening berries before reserving twelve · 2 minUses The complete blackberry-and-sugar mixture · 1 tbs Lemon Juice

11. 11

    Step 11: Simmer only the remaining berries and juices gently for fifteen minutes, stirring regularly until very soft. Press the cooked fruit and juice through a sieve into a bowl to make a smooth purée, leaving seeds behind.

    Simmer Blackberries · 15 minUses All the berries and juice left after reserving twelve

12. 12

    Step 12: Discard the seeds and leave the strained purée to become completely cold. You should have approximately 325 ml of purée.

    Uses All the strained purée

13. 13

    Step 13: Whisk all the chilled cream (300 ml) and plain yogurt (100 ml) together just until soft peaks form. Stop before firm whipping because the fruit will thicken it further.

    Uses 300 ml well-chilled double cream · 100 ml plain natural yogurt

14. 14

    Step 14: Taste the completely cold purée and add some of the conditional extra purée sugar only if needed. Pour all the cold purée into the prepared whipped cream and yogurt, folding only once or twice to leave purple marbling.

    Uses All the cold strained purée · Extra caster sugar for cooled purée only if needed · All the whipped cream-yogurt mixture

15. 15

    Step 15: Spoon the finished marbled fool into six individual glasses or one serving bowl, avoiding extra stirring.

    Uses All the completed fool

16. 16

    Step 16: Wash the small mint leaves and scatter them over the fool with the twelve held softened blackberries. Add a little of the optional garnish sugar if wanted. Serve the six portions with the twenty-four prepared hazelnut biscuits.

    Uses The completed six-serving fool · All twelve held garnish berries · All twenty-four prepared biscuits · A few small fresh mint leaves for garnish · A little extra caster sugar to sprinkle on top, optional