Faith Durand's Strawberry Rhubarb Fool

This week, Faith Durand from The Kitchn will serve as a Guest Editor at Food52. She'll be choosing a Wildcard winner, answering your questions on the Hotline, and sharing recipes from her new book, Bakeless Sweets -- because during summer, dessert shouldn't require an oven.

Classic British cooking was one of my primary inspirations for Bakeless Sweets. Growing up, I remember reading about fluffs, fools, and jellied creams, and an afternoon cream tea was my idea of nirvana. A fool is the purest of these classic British desserts. It's so simple: just fruit and whipped cream, so there's a lot of emphasis on the quality of the ingredients. This is one of the best ways to make seasonal fruit the star of a dessert. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Fool

Serves 4

Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote

1/2 pound pound rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup hulled and chopped strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 long strips lemon peel

Whipped Cream

1 cup cream, chilled
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photo by Stacy Newgent for Bakeless Sweets by Faith Durand 

Want to pick Faith's brain about dessert, or berries, or cooking in general? She'll be answering questions on our Hotline this Wednesday, June 12, from 10:30 - 11:30 AM. Mark your calendars, and join the conversation!