Liberian Fruit Fools

Fools are a British invention, going back to the Elizabethan era, if not earlier. They're a mix of pureed fruit and either whipped cream or custard. They're a very popular dessert in my native Liberia where lots of fruit are grown. You will, of course, find many 'chefy' versions of this dish, but this is how it's really made back home.

Typically powdered custard is used as the base and because milk is expensive and many West Africans are lactose intolerant the instant custard is often made-up with boiling water. Liberians also love ginger and the country grows cassia and powdered cassia bark is sold there as cinnamon (just as it is in America) so this dish includes that as well.

Here, then is a recipe for fruit food made just the way it is in the homes of Liberia:

Liberian Fruit Fool

1 mango, peeled and with the flesh sliced
2 peaches, pitted and sliced
2 tsp grated ginger
3 tsp ground cinnamon (or ground cassia)
2 tbsp honey
80ml water

For the Custard:
2 tbsp instant custard powder
2 tbsp granulated sugar
600ml boiling water


Add the fruit, ginger, cinnamon and water to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 25 minutes, or until the fruit is very soft then take off the heat and either mash by hand or purée with a food processor until smooth. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile bring 600ml of water to a boil. In a bowl mix the custard powder and the sugar. Add a few tablespoons of cold water to the mix and whisk until smooth then stir-in the boiling water. Tip the mixture into a pan and heat gently until just thickened (you're not looking for a very thick mixture here). Tip in the fruit purée and stir to combine.

Set aside to cool an when cold enough to handle spoon into glasses and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving (in actuality this would just be chilled in the bowl and everyone would be given a spoon to tuck in).

If you enjoyed this Liberian recipes and would like more then you really need to check out the Liberian Recipes collection on the Celtnet site where you will see several more 'chefy' versions of fruit fools as well as many other traditional Liberian dishes.