What to do with currants?

January 5, 2008 10:27 PM

I just bought a package of red currants at the grocery store. Help me figure out what to do with them!

The part of my brain that is attracted to shiny things (and particularly, shiny RED things) just demanded that I purchase 5.6 ounces of fresh red currants. They are very pretty, and they taste nice, but they're a bit too bland/sour to eat on their own.

Sadly, most of the red currant recipes I'm finding use them as part of a jelly, a sauce for a meat dish, or garnish for a dessert. I have no interest in making jelly, I'm a vegetarian, and I'd like to actually EAT them instead of just sticking them on top of something.

How can I put these lovely fruits to good use?

posted by arianell to food & drink (17 comments total)

I think scones are somewhat traditional. I use the King Arthur basic recipe for all my scones, but there are plenty of perfectly good ones out there. (Those which call for buttermilk generally turn out well.)
posted by cobaltnine at 10:45 PM on January 5

Scones! Here's a proven recipe from Steve H. Substitute something else for the lard in order to stay vegetarian, I guess...
posted by evariste at 10:45 PM on January 5

note to self: become faster typist
posted by evariste at 11:05 PM on January 5

This is the currant you put in scones.

This is the currant referred to in the question.

They are different, but can both be part of a healthy diet. (Cue "The More You Know" jingle.)
posted by gimonca at 12:16 AM on January 6

Oh, and since you're being difficult and discarding the top three choices for using red currants, I'd go with a fruit soup.

If you feel really experimental, you could try sealing them in a jar of vodka for a month or so and making a liqueur or ratafia with them.
posted by gimonca at 12:19 AM on January 6

Why not make a sauce for a tofu dish? Or something to that effect.
posted by joshers13 at 1:11 AM on January 6

Buy a half pint of whipping cream, shake it up enthusiastically, and pour over the currants. Eat for breakfast to feel really decadent. You can sweeten the cream with honey or sugar to taste, but it's good unsweetened as well.
posted by annathea at 1:26 AM on January 6

You could dry them in a cool oven (150F for a few hours) and put them in your morning bowl of granola.
posted by kepano at 1:34 AM on January 6

Add the currents and some walnuts to some wild rice for a yummy side (or main) dish.
posted by elendil71 at 1:42 AM on January 6

Whoops, "currants" - damn my poor spelling...
posted by elendil71 at 1:44 AM on January 6

They're great in fruit salad with that little burst of tart juice. And I think you could bake them into muffins or quickbreads (look for recipes with cranberries and sub the currants.)
posted by desuetude at 9:04 AM on January 6

These currants can be put in scones too. I like to make an awesome sauce, kind of like the cranberry sauce eaten during Thanksgiving, and use it on meats. Also delicious in tarts and pretty on top of cupcakes. At the farmer's market the general consensus is that most people use them for preserves. I honestly eat them raw most of the time though...I like sour things.

Next time they are in season in Illinois I am planning on making cakes. They look amazing.

BTW one of the reasons Americans aren't so familiar with currants and what to do with them is because they were once banned in many areas because they were blamed for spreading a tree disease. Zante currants, which aren't even currants at all, started being used instead.
posted by melissam at 9:10 AM on January 6 [1 favorite]

Try them alone or mixed with other fruits and berries in clafoutis, homemade ice cream, sorbet, or Red Currant Cherry Almond Pie.
posted by iviken at 10:01 AM on January 6

My mom used to make red currant pies.
posted by orange swan at 11:44 AM on January 6

You can reduce them with sugar to a syrup that can then be mixed with sparkling water. Otherwise, tarts, preserves, sauces.
posted by holgate at 12:13 PM on January 6

Rote Grutze is one of my favorite deserts. It's easy, and you can use any single fruit or combination to make up the proportions in the recipe. I like it with heavy cream poured over, but it's more festive with lightly sweetened whipped cream.
posted by oneirodynia at 12:16 PM on January 6

We used have these growing in the backyard in Holland when I was growing up, and the main application was to put them in yoghurt (which came from the milkman, plain, in bottles -- a little more liquid than most American yoghurt). You got the currents off the stems by running them through a fork, they pop right off. As kids we got to add a little sugar, too, but it's probably fine without. Haven't had this in 49 years and my mouth is watering.
posted by beagle at 1:05 PM on January 6