Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Red currants

nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: rmelrose@danvilleVT.net
  • To: "William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>
  • Cc: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Red currants
  • Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:21:00 -0400 (EDT)

>
>> Well Bill, no doubt it is all very much a matter of taste, but I find red
>> (and white/champagne) currants are excellent eaten fresh in combination
>> with ripe peaches etc. It is a combination I always look forward to; even
>> though I cannot grow the peaches myself.
>
>
> Thanks. I'll have to try that. I do have peaches this year (those I can
> wrestle away from the squirrels).
>
> One disappointment with currants is that they seem to have no
> distinctive taste. The pie, for example, was just... generic. I love
> pie, but I couldn't get excited about that kind. Now the gooseberry
> pie,... oh, man, that was GOOD! That's probably my new favorite (beating
> out strawberry-rhubarb). Gooseberries are even more sour than currants -
> at least, when green - but they've got flavor to go with it.
>
> In general, though, I want fruit I can enjoy fresh. The currants might
> have been a mistake (unless your idea of eating them with peaches works
> out), but we'll see. I enjoy trying new things, anyway.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Bill
> Lincoln, NE (zone 5)
>

I think you are completely right about red currant pie, it is not worth it
being watery, unappetizing to look at and not a great flavour (you see I
have tried). Of course black currants are quite a different proposition;
with apples or on their own they make a wonderful, I mean superior!,
pie. For reds the usual English alternative along the general lines of my
simple red-currants-with-peaches is Summer Pudding. If you have other
(usually red or reddish) fruit, say raspberries, cherries or blackberries
the combination in an uncooked pie (with `crust' made of bread) is
excellent -- I'm sure you can find a recipe easily enough and it IS good.

I do think it is also worth making red currant jelly, since (the way I make
it) it is much less sweet than the commercial stuff and more red
curranty. Not much of an effort really either.

If anyone one is interested I finally tried the `red currant ratafia' which
is to say as cassis but red currants. It is not bad, the colour is pretty
remarkable of you like red drinks. The flavour is a bit subtle, compared to
cassis anyway. Not sure whether I will make it again.

Richard
VT 4a.





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page