The other day I got a text from my friend, Jill, that our local store had gooseberries and did I want any? What a silly question! Of course I wanted some gooseberries. Within seconds I was dreaming of the gooseberry-almond cake from my days in Heidelberg, Germany.

When Jill arrived with the loot, I opened the bag to see two containers of husk-swaddled ground cherries. While not gooseberries, I was very excited to see these, as well. She swore that the store had a sign saying, “Gooseberries.” I believed her because stores sometimes mislabel unusual ingredients.

Markipedia, not one to shirk his research duties, went online immediately to discover that ground cherries are sometimes referred to as cape gooseberries. This is one of the many cases where a single term is used for several different unrelated fruits or plants. We run into that all the time here in the desert. For example, what we think of here as a bird of paradise in no way resembles the ones you might see in a tropical destination.

Ground cherries and tomatillos are in the same genus Physalis — they are in the nightshade family, solanaceae. In addition to being called cape gooseberries, they are sometimes referred to as Inca berries, golden berries, and husk tomatoes. Most species of Physalis are indigenous to the Americas. They can be tart, or sweet, and have crunchy little seeds similar to real gooseberries. These, that Jill gave me, had a sweet-tart flavor reminiscent of strawberries and pineapple combined.

Once I knew I had ground cherries – not gooseberries – there was more than a slight shift in plans. My focus shifted from sweet to savory. The first time I cooked with them was in Québec City more than 15 years ago. I found them at the farmers market and remember making them into a sauce to go with pork tenderloin. Today, I mixed them with some shallot, tomato and herbs – including lavender – to make a fantastic chutney to accompany seared duck. In the end, the title of this post should be “Duck, Duck, Ground Cherry.”

~ David

39 Comments

  1. Chef Mimi

    May 15, 2021 at 7:21 am

    How exciting! I’ve never even seen gooseberries! They really do look like yellow tomatillos. When you wrote ground, I thought you meant ground up, like pulverized, so this is all fascinating to me! Love what you did here. And duck would be great of course as well…

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      May 15, 2021 at 10:03 am

      Well, keep in mind these are CAPE gooseberries and not actual gooseberries, though the recipe might work just fine with the latter!

      Reply
  2. John / Kitchen Riffs

    May 15, 2021 at 8:25 am

    Gooseberries grow pretty well around here, but I rarely see them in stores — just at farmers markets, and more typically someone has access to a tree and uses them to bake a pie or whatever. And ground cherries are even more unusual. But next time I see some I’ll make this. The duck looks great (I love duck!), but that chutney looks outstanding. And pork would be a natural pairing, too (as you suggest). Anyway, thanks for such a nice recipe.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      May 15, 2021 at 10:05 am

      Hey, John — As I mentioned to Mimi, these are cape gooseberries and not the traditional ones, which are related to currants and don’t come in husks. Wish I could get some real gooseberries, though! Thanks, as ever, for your kind comments!

      Reply
      • Jill Becker

        May 16, 2021 at 2:23 pm

        I’ll keep my eyes out 🙂

        Reply
  3. Gerlinde de Broekert

    May 15, 2021 at 2:14 pm

    I love duck breast and I love the gooseberries we get n Germany which are different from the orange ones. I once planted a bush thinking that it was the gooseberries I knew but I ended up with the orange ones. I enjoyed eating them but I never cooked with them. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      May 16, 2021 at 10:00 am

      The taste of the two is very different, Gerlinde – true gooseberries are very tart, while these are quite sweet, the texture, though, is a bit similar. I think one could make a good chutney with either gooseberry, and both would go well with the duck.

      Reply
  4. Eha Carr

    May 15, 2021 at 5:28 pm

    Ha ! The duck offering looks fantastic – the rest methinks is very appealing but somewhat problematic for most of us !! The usual gooseberries are one of the most beloved summer fruits up in the Baltics but can be bought but rarely here in Australia. Cape gooseberries is a very familiar term to me but I do not believe I have ever sighted one . . . perhaps available at farmers’ markers and I do not have one nearby . . . but this is interesting enough to do some homework . . . I would so love to plate this . . .

    Reply
    • Eha Carr

      May 15, 2021 at 8:15 pm

      Homework done for Aussie readers: Everybody keeps the seeds, including Diggers . . . everybody keeps the plants, including Bunnings (!!! . . . . Harris Park actually has them as fruit but you have to be a millionaire to buy 🙂 ! Much praised everywhere !!! Oh the plants supposedly grow you out of house and home in most of Oz !

      Reply
      • Cocoa & Lavender

        May 16, 2021 at 10:01 am

        Glad you did such thorough research, Eha! They can be quite expensive here, too…

        Reply
      • John

        July 8, 2021 at 4:23 pm

        Good to know, Eha, and thanks. Maybe it was at Harris Farm that I saw them many years ago. I do remember scoffing at the ludicrous price and putting them back on the shelf. I doubt my local Bunnings would sell the plants. I may have to go down the mountain to Western Sydney to visit one of the bigger outlets.

        Reply
  5. Shelli Moore

    May 16, 2021 at 6:44 am

    We had gooseberries recently, the actual ones! Found them at the grocery store in Chicago! They were delish, Michael made a sabayon we ate with them. So I was excited to see what you did with them. …
    Well, maybe next time. Lol

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      May 16, 2021 at 10:02 am

      I love that Michael is cooking, Shelli! Gooseberries with sabayon sounds terrific! Hope you are all well!

      Reply
  6. Fran @ G'day Souffle

    May 16, 2021 at 7:20 am

    Yea! It looks like your duck is cooked perfectly with a bit of pink! I’m not familiar with ground cherries, but they really seem to have the same sort of husks as tomatillos. I wonder why they are called ‘crushed’ since they appear to be formed whole? Your recipe seems to have a nice balance between the sweet and sour. After living in both Australia and France, I’m a bit perplexed at how some Americans wince when you mention serving duck to them!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      May 16, 2021 at 10:05 am

      Hah! No one winces when I say I’m serving duck! (They know better!) actually, one friend who came to dinner neglected to tell me he didn’t eat duck… after dinner, he admitted this but added, “I had no idea I liked duck!” They aren’t called crushed, but ground – as in dirt. You can crush them, which I did, to release the pectin.

      Reply
  7. sherry

    May 16, 2021 at 6:23 pm

    you know, i think i’ve seen those cape gooseberries growing here wild. they look very familiar. and of course there’s always chinese gooseberries aka kiwi fruit. I have to keep reminding people (sorry, you guys) that you really need to add fruit to kiwi cos a kiwi is a flightless bird 🙂 Never mind that – love duck, so i bet this is delish!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      May 21, 2021 at 5:49 am

      That is an excellent reminder, Sherry. Maybe I will have to create a recipe with kiwi fruit to remind people!

      Reply
  8. 2pots2cook

    May 17, 2021 at 12:04 am

    We grow Inca berries on our balcony and I make desserts with these little precious berries. Your dinner is an amazing way to use them is savoury versions. Great one David ! Thank you !

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      May 21, 2021 at 5:50 am

      Now I wonder if we could grow them here, Davorka… I will need to check with Markipedia. Actually, now that I am thinking about it, one of my colleagues said she and her husband have grown them. I think it would be worth a try!

      Reply
  9. Kelly | Foodtasia

    May 17, 2021 at 12:33 pm

    David, your ways with flavors is amazing! I’ve never cooked (or heard of) ground cherries before. I’ll have to keep an eye out for them to recreate this lovely dish. Your photos are stunning!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      May 21, 2021 at 5:51 am

      Oh, thank you, Kelly! That is so kind… I love all sorts of exotic fruits and vegetables, and ground cherries are one I would like to play with more!

      Reply
  10. sippitysup

    May 17, 2021 at 2:14 pm

    Ground Cherries! Sounds like a natural with the full-mouth flavor of duck. GREG

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      May 21, 2021 at 5:52 am

      Duck with cherries. Duck with ground cherries. Just made so much sense to me.

      Reply
  11. Inger @ Art of Natural Living

    May 18, 2021 at 2:29 pm

    We get both gooseberries and ground cherries at summer farmers markets, so I know them by sight but would have to research what to do with them. Sure wouldn’t cry if they ended up paired with duck breast!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      May 21, 2021 at 5:53 am

      I am just a wee bit jealous, Inger. I wish I could convince our local store to import them! But the ground cherries are a real treat — glad we have them!

      Reply
  12. Raymund

    May 18, 2021 at 3:49 pm

    Ohh I only know them as cape gooseberries and the first time I had it was here in New Zealand when my colleague asked me if I wanted one, I just said yes even though I haven’t cooked with it yet. I made some Flaugnarde which turned out to be really good, but as a sauce like your one, I wanna try that

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      May 21, 2021 at 5:55 am

      I think they must have been perfect in the flaugnarde, Raymund. I should try that next! Thanks for the great idea and the kind compliment.

      Reply
  13. Hasin

    May 23, 2021 at 10:11 am

    David,
    When I read gooseberries, I visualised Indian Amla, soon corrected myself reading Cape gooseberries, which again is new to me.
    True to what you say, markipidea or not, but your posts always gives something to chew on. I learn something new each time I visit your blog.
    Duck with cherries looks fab.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      June 5, 2021 at 7:00 am

      Hello Hasin – it is so nice to have you back in the blogosphere! Thanks for your kind words – I love your visits!

      Reply
  14. Valentina

    May 24, 2021 at 9:02 pm

    Such a gorgeous dish, David. The berries are so pretty with their husks partially peeled off. I have never worked with them, so thank you for the inspiration, and for reminding me it’s been way too long since I’ve cooked duck, which I love. 🙂 ~Valentina

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      June 5, 2021 at 7:02 am

      The ground cherries feel sticky, just like tomatillos – you can definitely see AND feel how they are from the same genus and species! I hope you get to try them, Valentina. Trader Joe had them out of the husks – so I made haste and made several jars of the chutney!

      Reply
  15. Susan Manfull

    June 6, 2021 at 8:09 am

    I always love your duck recipes! This looks super good!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      June 19, 2021 at 11:50 am

      Come visit, Susan! I made a big batch of the ground cherry chutney, and it’s waiting for your arrival.

      Reply
  16. Karen (Back Road Journal)

    June 7, 2021 at 5:22 am

    I do know about the ground cherries, an acquaintance grew them in her garden in New England and made salsa from them. I like your idea of turning them into a sweet and savory chutney. It was a perfect accompaniment to go with your duck.

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      June 19, 2021 at 11:50 am

      I wondered if we could’ve grown them in New England, Karen. As I said, the first time we saw them was in Canada which made me think we could. I’ll have to give them a try as a salsa when they’re in season again next year!

      Reply
  17. John

    July 8, 2021 at 4:19 pm

    My love affair with ground cherries began many years ago when Dean and I stayed in New York for a while. I first came across them at Chelsea Market, bought them and ate them straight up. So deliciously sweet. I spotted them in Sydney once or twice since, but never again. Nothing here in the Blue Mountains, either. The folk in these parts are a little insular!

    A chutney made with ground cherries sounds divine, David. A pity we aren’t neighbours!

    Reply
    • Cocoa & Lavender

      July 10, 2021 at 10:10 am

      They are so good just by themselves… I was so lucky they were easily found here in Tucson this year, I hope they were popular enough that they will be back next year!

      Reply
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