flipRed Currant Jam from the Orchard
Red Currant Jam from the Orchard
Why this dish? Berthe's country houses (Bougival, Mézy-sur-Seine) had orchards and currant bushes; making jam at the end of summer to stock the pantry was a rite of bourgeois families, who served it at dessert and tea all winter.
Red currants cooked with their weight in sugar to the setting point, retaining their bright acidity and stained-glass colour; pots are filled and topped with a paper round.
In the country, as soon as the currant bushes bend under their red clusters, it is jam day. We strip the currants with a fork, put them in the preserving pan with an equal weight of sugar, and watch the cooking without taking our eyes off it, for it turns quickly. I love this colour of cooked currants, that transparent red I would gladly capture on my palette; and the sweet smell that fills the whole house is worth a fine morning of painting.
- •Red currants, stripped — equal parts with sugar (base)
- •Sugar — same weight as fruit (preservation and binding)
Red Currant Jam from the Orchard
Red currants cooked with their weight in sugar to the setting point, retaining their bright acidity and stained-glass colour; pots are filled and topped with a paper round.
Why this dish? Berthe's country houses (Bougival, Mézy-sur-Seine) had orchards and currant bushes; making jam at the end of summer to stock the pantry was a rite of bourgeois families, who served it at dessert and tea all winter.
In the country, as soon as the currant bushes bend under their red clusters, it is jam day. We strip the currants with a fork, put them in the preserving pan with an equal weight of sugar, and watch the cooking without taking our eyes off it, for it turns quickly. I love this colour of cooked currants, that transparent red I would gladly capture on my palette; and the sweet smell that fills the whole house is worth a fine morning of painting.
Ingredients (period version)
- Red currants, stripped — equal parts with sugar (base)
- Sugar — same weight as fruit (preservation and binding)
Ingredients
- Red currants, stripped — 1 kg (base)
- Granulated sugar — 850 g (preservation and binding)
- Lemon juice — 1/2 lemon (helps setting (pectin))
Method
- Strip currants with a fork and weigh to adjust sugar.
- In a large preserving pan, mix fruit, sugar and lemon juice; let macerate 1 hour.
- Bring to a boil and cook over high heat 8 to 12 minutes, skimming, until a drop sets on a cold plate.
- Fill sterilized jars to the brim, seal immediately and turn jars upside down until cool.
How it was made : Jams were cooked in an untinned copper pan, which promotes quick cooking and a fine colour; lacking modern lids, jars were sealed with a round of alcohol-soaked parchment paper tied with string.
The contemporary twist : A hint of cracked pepper and a touch of vanilla for a 'painter's currant' to serve with fresh cheese.
Berthe Morisot · Charactorium
