I've always thought Cape gooseberries (below) were exotic, expensive fruits that nestled in plastic containers or were labelled physalis and sold for $24.50 in small baskets at city'super. Then last week, I saw them piled high in a wet market selling for only $10 per kun (600 grams). Cape gooseberries also go by the aliases of Chinese lantern fruit, ground cherry and Peruvian cherry. They resemble small, golden tomatillos - they are in the same botanical family - and each is wrapped in its own papery husk, which you peel off and discard before you eat the fruit. Look for firm, golden fruit - if they're green they're not ripe and very sour.
Cape gooseberries are often served raw in their husks and I never really thought of eating them any other way, although one preparation had them dipped in chocolate, which seemed a misguided attempt at ingenuity. At a recent dinner party, they were served in a refreshing intermezzo sorbet. This made me wonder what other uses they could be put to.
Because of all their tiny seeds, Cape gooseberries have a slightly grainy texture, similar to quinces or pears. You don't want to lose the fruit's sweet-tart flavour, so add lemon juice to balance the sweetness of the sugar in any preparation - the acidity in the lemon juice also helps preserve the gooseberries' orange-gold colour.
Cape gooseberries are frequently made into jam. Boil equal weights of the husked fruit with granulated sugar and stir in some strained, fresh lemon juice (I also added half a split and scraped vanilla bean, but it's not essential). Boil until all the excess liquid has been absorbed - it will continue to thicken as it cools. Ladle into sterilised, heat-proof jars (boil jars and lids for five minutes, then turn upside down on a rack and air-dry); when cool, store in the fridge.
For a lovely sauce, puree Cape gooseberries with fresh lemon juice. Make a sugar syrup by stirring together equal weights of water and granulated sugar. Bring to the boil then cool. Whisk together the puree with some sugar syrup until it's the correct sauce consistency, adding more lemon juice if the flavour is too sweet - it should be quite piquant. The sauce goes well with fruit desserts, and looks great when contrasted with the deep crimson of a raspberry sauce.