black currants

[redbird]

One of the things cattitude and adrian_turtle got at the farmers market on Friday was black currants, which Cattitude wanted to try because he likes black currant candy, and Ribena, and other black-currant-flavored things.

We rinsed the raspberries and some of the black currants Friday, for dessert. I tried one first, and said "I don't think I like this." Adrian and then Cattitude also tried them, one currant each, after which we agreed that we didn't like them. There was some discussion of ways to cook with them, but Cattitude was the only one who was at all enthusiastic about trying them instead of cranberries in apple crisp, or using them to make a sauce for duck, and we may abandon the project. Ah, well, now I know.

Comments

[hrj]

I put in some black currant bushes last year (different species than the European black currant, though) and am getting enough this year to try a few experiments. They definitely do better with cooking, and while I generally prefer my fruit unsweetened, I find that currants do better with a bit of sugar in the mix. Yesterday I had a handful collected up and made a single-serving pudding by cooking them in a small amount of apple juice, passing them through a sieve, then mixing in a pinch of sugar and two egg yolks and steaming it in a ramekin. If I'd had milk in the house, I would have extended it with some milk, but ever since I've stopped having milk in my coffee, I often don't have any in the house. I still have about half the (small) crop in the process of ripening, so more experiments to come.