It doesn't get any better than fresh strawberries and cream . . .
June tastes like my mother’s strawberry jam. Every summer Mom bought huge flats of strawberries and spent entire afternoons cooking and canning jar after jar. My brother Adam and I dragged chairs over to the stove and stood over her big pot of bubbling berries, our faces hot and wet from the sweet steam.
I hadn’t thought about those summer jam sessions in months—but the memories came flooding back as I stood in my New York City kitchen, stirring the pot of simmering berries for this Strawberry Coconut Fool.
Sweet and tangy jam swirled with fresh juicy strawberries and rich coconut yogurt whipped cream. Light and sweet, simple but beautiful in their simplicity, these fools are the perfect dessert to celebrate summer’s berry bounty.
If you’ve never heard of a “fool,” it’s just an old-fashioned term for jammy fruit swirled through pastry cream, whipped cream, or a combination of the two. You can use any combination of fruit and cream you like—I chose strawberries as a sort of homage to my mother (and also: who doesn’t love strawberries and cream!) but paired them with whipped coconut yogurt for a tropical twist on this traditional European classic. I also decided to boost the strawberry jam with tamarind concentrate, which sets off the berries’ sweetness with a little extra tang.
Whether you’re searching for a simple summer dessert to take to a party or desperate for another way to use up a glut of strawberries, this Strawberry Coconut Fool is for you. Sweet and tangy, light but satisfying, it’s everything you want in a summer dessert, and then some!
Enjoy!
Strawberry Coconut Fool
(Serves 4)
16 ounces strawberries, half diced, half sliced
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
½ teaspoon tamarind concentrate
1 cup unsweetened coconut cream
1 cup plain coconut yogurt
¼ cup toasted unsweetened coconut
Special equipment: hand-held blender with whisk attachment
Method
Combine diced strawberries, sugar, and kosher salt in a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until the strawberries start breaking down, and the bubbles of boiling berries are large, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the tamarind concentrate. Transfer to a heat-proof container, and refrigerate, covered, until cold.
In a cold bowl, whisk together coconut cream and coconut yogurt until thick and light.
Spread a layer of whipped coconut yogurt into each of the four serving glasses. Top with a layer of the jammy strawberries and 3-4 sliced strawberries. Add another layer of cream, then another layer of jammy and fresh strawberries. Top with a small dollop of cream and a fresh sliced strawberry, and sprinkle with toasted coconut.
Originally published June 4, 2022.