Friday, August 03, 2007

A gorgeously red redcurrant jelly

Redcurrant jelly is a preserve I have to make every year. A spoonful of this can lighten up any meat gravy (as in the classic English Cumberland Sauce) or vegetable dishes (a Christmassy red cabbage stew, for example). I love a spoonful of tart redcurrant jam with my morning porridge, or some jelly smeared on a slice of buttered white bread.

For best flavour, it's important to use ripe redcurrants for this jelly. Yet avoid overripe berries, as the level of pectine reduces in berries as they ripen, and jelly won't set as beautifully.

Don't you think the colour and texture are simply gorgeous? I do :)

Redcurrant Jelly
(Punasesõstraželee)
Yields 1 litre of jelly



1 kg ripe (but not overripe!) redcurrants
1 kg sugar

Rinse the redcurrants (no need to clean of the ribs!), place in a large saucepan with a dash of water. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to avoid burning. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, until berries soften.
Now add sugar, and stir, until sugar has dissolved. Boil for 8-10 minutes, stirring all the time.
Cool a little, then pour through a fine sieve into sterilised warm glasses and close the glasses immediately.

16 comments:

Thredahlia said...

Mmmm... see on minu lemmik ka võisaia peal :P
Aga saia peal kasutamiseks keedan ma vahel natuke õuna sisse, et mahedam oleks, muuks otstarbeks mitte.

K and S said...

I love the color of this! Beautiful :)

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

Beautiful! And I do love the flavor of red currants.

Figs, Bay, Wine said...

I'm so excited to find this recipe! Our red currants are just coming into their own, and I've been searching for a good way to hold onto them for sauces this winter. Thanks so much and beautiful photo!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Pille, it really looks fantastic! Such a vivid color!

Dagmar said...

It's gorgeous!!!

Anonymous said...

I love the color of this jelly. I can imagine enjoying it with many of my favorite dishes! I do have a question though: what is morning porridge like? I've always wondered. Is it just oatmeal?

:)

Ari (Baking and Books)

Susan from Food Blogga said...

Yes, I do think it's gorgeous. Now, how about a little taste? Hmm? ;)

xps said...

Sounds delicious. Thank you for having there lobstersquad and j. love from madrid

Katie Zeller said...

Absolutley gorgeous!
I have to buy my red current jelly - but I love it anyway!
And, you are right, it's great for sauces and marinades.

Evelin said...

Aitäh!
Homme hommikul võin julgelt vastata küsimusele 'tahad siis sõstraid või ei?' ja öelda JAH:)

Anonymous said...

Made the Canadian apple cake today for my father in law who came for Sunday lunch. Complete success! xxx

neil said...

You really nailed that jelly, a perfect set and colour. I bet it tasted just great too.

Shaun said...

Pille - I've always thought redcurrant jelly *looks* so pretty but have not tasted it for myself. Is the 1 kg of sugar necessary or could one reduce the amount. I'm not sure if it is in equal parts for a scientific reason to do with activating pectin or if it is to assuage any tartness in the currants. The colour and texture of the jelly do indeed look beautiful, but you always deliver well in that department.

Jeanne said...

Do you know, I cringe to admit that I've never made jam?? You put me to shame, and you make it sound so easy! These all look fab and I LOVE the picture with the three little stars, each with their blob of jam Inspired.

Pille said...

Thredahlia - hmmm. Võisaial on tõesti hea. Õuntega varianti pole ma ise proovinud (pohlamoosis küll), aga panen kõrva taha..

K&S - thank you so much!

Lydia - I love the flavour of all summer berries - blackcurrants, redcurrants, white currants - as well as gooseberries, strawberries, raspberries etc.. Cannot get enough, it seems:)

Figs Olives Wines - I got the recipe from Delia, although it's identical to the one I used previously (or my mum and grandma have been using)..

Patricia - yes, it is. I'm happy both with the jelly, and the photo:)

Dagmar - thanks!

Ari - morning porridge can be anything. My favourite is a four-cereal porridge (flaked rye, oats, barley, wheat grains), and I also love cream of wheat/semolina porridge. The four-cereal porridge is water-based, semolina porridge milk-based. They're typical breakfast dishes here in the north.

Susan - happy to keep one jar on the side for you:)

xps - the pleasure of hosting Ximena & J. was all mine, and they're now happily sunbathing on the island. They did very well in the wild mushroom forests & forest berry bogs - we were proud of them:)

Katie - I haven't seen one I like on sale, so I'm happy to make my own:)

Evelin - tore! Ma lähen täna vanemate juurde tikreid-sõstraid-õunu tooma:)

Roxy - glad to hear that!

Neil - it was delicious, and we managed to store away four jars for later use.

Shaun - thank you for your sweet words! Re: amount of sugar - I'd stick with equal amount of sugar and berries. Redcurrants have a very sharp flavour, and happily take that amount of sugar. And I'm sure the texture is a combination of fruit pectin and sugar syrup..

Jeanne - it's really not so difficult. I'm sure Johanna would be happy to give you a one-to-one masterclass on jamming:)