Redcurrant Jelly
Clearing out the freezer is a sometimes necessary task, hampered by the presence of unusual odds and sods. In this particular case, three-or-so pounds of home-grown redcurrants were languishing in search of a home. It being Easter there was a leg of lamb for dinner and the solution was clear: redcurrant jelly.
So, into a large pan on the simmering plate of the Aga went the frozen redcurrants, along with about two pints of water. After an hour or so, the contents of the pan was a deep crimson and it was time to make the first extract. I used clothes pegs to hold a muslin cloth over a bowl and tipped the contents of the pan out to drain. After about 15 minutes the bowl was full and the liquid was dripping out only very slowly.
Time to prepare the second extract: the fruit and pulp were tipped from the muslin back to the pan along with a pint of water and returned to the simmering plate for half an hour. In the mean time, I prepared another bowl with the muslin sieve and rewarded myself with a cup of tea. After the time was up, the contents of the pan went on to the muslin and dripped for around an hour. It’s important not to force the pulp at the muslin, as this will contaminate the juice and leave the jelly cloudy.
Time for the magic: redcurrants are high in pectin, hence why I was able to make a second extract. I mixed the two juices together – having measured their comibined volume at about a pint and a half. Into the (cleaned) pan this went, along with a pound-and-a-half of preserving sugar. The recipe I was working from called for a pound to a pound-and-a-quarter per pint of pectin-rich juice, with more sugar for lower pectin-content juices. I guessed the total needed in the end, working on the surprising sweetness of the juice itself. On, then, to the boiling plate once as much of the sugar had disolved in the luke-warm juice. When a fast boil was reached, I moved the pan to the simmering plate stirring constantly.
After about 10 minutes, I began the work of testing for the set-point: taking a cold plate from the fridge, I dropped a little proto-jelly on it and returned it to the fridge for about 30 seconds. If, when pushed gently with a finger, the surface wrinkles up then the jelly (or jam) is ready to be put in jars and will set suitably. So that was it, nearly. I used a straining spoon to remove the pinkish-white frothy scum that had formed on the top of the jelly and then used a glass jug to pour the jelly into jars (warmed, of course, in the Aga…) Wax discs and plastic circles topped off three jars, and a half-full jar was enjoyed with the evenings’ lamb. Perfect: a deep, clear, and bright ruby red; a jar now sits in my cupboard.