My friend Samantha may just kill me for revealing this secret. I introduced her to this dinner-party-perfect dessert a year ago and my sense is that she’s been working it ever since. It’s easy, you can make it ahead, it looks as pretty as can be, and people LUV it. It’s Berry Fool. With strawberries red and ripe everywhere one looks at markets these days, I thought I’d help you find a way to ingest and serve more of them easily.

A fool is an old-school British dessert of mashed or pureed fruit folded into whipped cream. That’s it. I’m not even kidding. Sweeten it to taste and add a splash of liqueur or eau-de-vie if you’re so inclined, but that is it. But like so many brilliantly simple dishes, most people wouldn’t guess – and may not even believe – that that’s all there is to it. So feel free to tell them how you made it. Next time they have a dinner party they will call you and say “Remember that berry desert you made? I’m having people over next week and want to make it. I know you told me, but I forgot, how do you make it?” And you will tell them again. Then they will call you the day of the party and say, “I’m sorry, I know you told me, but how do I make it again?”

Be kind. Be patient. Explain again how to make it.

“Is that all?” They’ll say, yet again, and you will assure them, yet again, that yes, that is it. Why are the simplest things always the most difficult to remember?

Each week, the Friday Food Files are deliciously brought to you by Molly Watson. For more on Molly and her delicious recipes, you can visit her in one of many wonderful places:
Writer: mollywatsonwrites.com
Blogger: thedinnerfiles.com
Recipe Wizard: localfoods.about.com
Radio Girl: eatthatradio.wordpress.com

*Photos courtesy of Molly Watson.