Red-currant Jelly (Method B)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6 to 8 quart wide nonreactive preserving pan
• •8 to 10 inch fine-mesh sieve and deep bowl
• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Sugar thermometer
• •Five half-pint (240 ml) preserving jars with new lids
• •Boiling-water canner or deep stockpot with rack
• •Canning funnel and jar lifter

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare fruit and jars

   Wash five half-pint jars, lids, and bands, then keep the jars hot while you make the jelly. Pick over all three fruits carefully, discarding leaves, stems, shriveled berries, and anything spoiled. Rinse the fruit in cold water without bruising it, then let it drain well. Keep the three fruits equal by weight; their volumes differ, and the scale tells the truth.

   A ten-minute boiling-water process makes pre-sterilizing the jars unnecessary, but the jars must be scrupulously clean and hot when filled.
2. 2

   Warm the fruit gently

   Put the red currants, white currants, raspberries, and cold water into a wide nonreactive preserving pan. Set it over low heat and cook gently for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring only enough to prevent catching, until the currant skins split, the raspberries slump, and crimson juice gathers beneath the fruit. Do not crush or boil it hard. If the bottom catches, lift the pan off at once and transfer the untouched fruit to a clean pan, leaving the scorched layer behind. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Drain without pressing

   Set a fine-mesh sieve over a deep bowl and spoon in the warm fruit. Leave it to drain undisturbed for 1 to 2 hours, until the flow slows to an occasional drop. Do not stir, mash, or press. Pressure forces pulp through the sieve and clouds the gelée. If you pressed by instinct, let the juice settle for 10 minutes, then pour it gently through a clean damp jelly cloth without disturbing the sediment. You may lose a little juice, but the clarity can still be rescued.

4. 4

   Calculate the sugar

   Weigh the strained juice in a clean bowl, then multiply that weight by 0.75. For every 1 lb (454 g) of juice, measure exactly 12 oz (340 g) sugar; for 900 g juice, use 675 g sugar. This ratio comes directly from the original formula and must be calculated from the juice you actually collected. Fine granulated sugar is the honest equivalent of loaf sugar: the form changed because it dissolves more readily, while the sweetness and setting ratio remain the same.

5. 5

   Boil to the set

   Return the juice to the cleaned preserving pan and add the calculated sugar. Warm gently, stirring until every crystal dissolves, then raise the heat and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil briskly, testing after 5 minutes and then every minute, until the gelée reaches 104 to 105°C (219 to 221°F) at sea level and a spoonful placed on a cold saucer wrinkles when pushed after 30 seconds. Remove the pan as soon as it sets. If the chilled test still runs, boil for one more minute and test again; repeated small tests protect the color better than one long, hopeful boil.

6. 6

   Pot and seal

   Let the pan stand for 1 minute, then skim away any pale foam without disturbing the clear jelly beneath. Ladle the gelée into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch (6 mm) headspace, wipe the rims, and fit the lids fingertip-tight. Process in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes at elevations up to 1,000 feet, increasing the time according to local altitude guidance. Turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes, then lift the jars out and leave them untouched for 12 to 24 hours. If the gelée remains loose after that rest, empty it into a clean pan, boil again, and test every minute before refilling clean jars and processing them anew. Ça se rattrape. Label the sealed jars and give the jelly several days to settle into its tender set. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Currants carry plenty of natural pectin, so add neither bottled pectin nor lemon. The source formula depends on the fruit, measured sugar, and a brief decisive boil.
• •Fresh fruit gives the brightest color, but currants and raspberries frozen at their peak work honestly outside the season. Weigh them frozen and warm them directly in the pan; thawing separately loses useful juice.
• •Never double this batch. A deep mass takes too long to reach its setting point, dulling the color while the bottom risks catching. Two modest batches are less labor than rescuing one enormous pan.
• •Store sealed jars in a cool, dark cupboard for up to one year. Refrigerate after opening and use within one month; refrigerate any jar that fails to seal.
• •Serve the gelée on buttered bread, beside roast duck or game, or whisk a spoonful into a finished pan jus. Its tart currant backbone belongs equally at breakfast and the savory table.

Advance Preparation

• •Place two small saucers in the freezer before cooking so the setting test is ready when the boil begins.
• •The fruit may be cleaned and weighed several hours ahead, then kept covered in the refrigerator. Do not add the water or sugar until cooking begins.
• •The sealed jelly improves after several days in the cupboard, when the gel settles and the currant and raspberry flavors knit together.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 20g)