Red-currant Jelly (Method A)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large nonreactive basin
• •Strong flour-sack towel or jelly bag
• •Large colander and deep nonreactive bowl
• •10 to 12 quart wide stainless steel preserving pan
• •Digital kitchen scale
• •Potato masher or sturdy rolling pin
• •Wide perforated skimmer
• •Instant-read or sugar thermometer
• •Jar funnel and three 1-cup preserving jars with lids

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the potting station

   Wash three 1-cup jars and their lids thoroughly, rinse them, and keep the jars warm in hot water so the hot jelly cannot crack the glass. Put two small plates in the freezer. Dampen a strong flour-sack towel or jelly bag, arrange it over a deep nonreactive bowl, and set a wide preserving pan, scale, ladle, skimmer, and jar funnel within reach. The Cooking, Potting, and Sealing of Jams (No. 2955) supplies the governing rhythm: cook quickly, judge the nappe carefully, rest briefly, and pot promptly. The paper-and-glycerine closure is replaced here by modern lids and refrigerated storage.

2. 2

   Crush the fruit raw

   Combine the red currants, white currants, and raspberries in a large nonreactive basin. Crush them thoroughly with a potato masher or the end of a rolling pin until every currant has burst and the raspberries have collapsed into the juice. Do not use a food processor. Its blades cut the seeds and stems too finely, bringing bitterness and a muddy haze into a jelly that should be clear.

3. 3

   Press small portions

   Spoon about 2 cups of crushed fruit at a time into the damp towel. Gather the cloth securely, then twist and press firmly over the bowl until the pulp feels nearly dry. Small portions protect the cloth and extract the juice more completely. If the seam strains, stop and divide the fruit again; ça se rattrape before the towel splits, not after. Pass any juice carrying visible seeds through a fresh damp layer of cloth, then measure the finished juice precisely. Expect roughly 4¾ to 5½ cups (1.1 to 1.3 liters), but the fruit decides the yield, not the recipe.

4. 4

   Measure and dissolve

   For every 1 imperial pint (568 ml / about 2⅖ US cups) of extracted juice, weigh exactly 8 oz (227 g) sugar. Put the juice and its calculated sugar into the wide preserving pan, which should be no more than half full. Stir over medium-low heat only until every crystal has disappeared. Do not let the mixture boil before the sugar dissolves, or crystals can form around the pan and seed a grainy jelly. If your pan is too small, divide the juice into two measured batches and calculate the sugar separately for each.

5. 5

   Boil and skim fiercely

   Raise the heat to its highest setting and bring the jelly to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Skim carefully and often, especially during the first minutes, lifting away the pale foam without taking spoonfuls of clear juice with it. Once boiling begins, stir only if a hot spot threatens to catch. If the pan surges toward the rim, lift it off the heat for a few seconds, let it settle, and return it immediately. If the bottom scorches, do not scrape it. Pour the clear upper jelly into a clean pan, leave the burnt layer behind, and resume the fierce boil. Ça se rattrape when caught early.

6. 6

   Read the nappe

   Begin testing once the vapor above the pan thins and the bubbling becomes heavier and more distinct, often after 8 to 15 minutes, though the clock cannot decide this jelly. Lift the skimmer frequently. At first the liquid runs from it quickly; at nappe it gathers toward the centre and falls at long intervals in broad, heavy drops. A thermometer will usually read 104 to 105°C (219 to 221°F), and a teaspoon placed on a frozen plate should wrinkle softly when pushed after 30 seconds. Remove the pan at once. If the jelly has become ropy, stir in 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) hot water per 2 cups (473 ml) jelly, return it briefly to the boil, and test again.

7. 7

   Rest and fill

   Leave the pan undisturbed off the heat for 7 to 8 minutes, then skim away the last foam. Ladle the jelly through the funnel into the warm jars, leaving ¼ inch (6 mm) headspace. Wipe the rims clean, close with the lids, and cool the jars upright for no longer than 2 hours before refrigerating. The short rest is part of the original method: it settles the violent boiling without allowing the jelly to set in the pan.

8. 8

   Set and serve

   Leave the jelly refrigerated and undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours before judging the set. If it remains syrupy, empty it into a clean wide pan, boil fiercely back to nappe, and refill freshly washed, warmed jars. Ça se rattrape. Serve the gelée with buttered bread, pâté, roast duck, or game, where its bright acidity earns every spoonful. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The source's pint is imperial: weigh 227 g sugar for every 568 ml juice. A US pint holds only 473 ml, so attaching the full 227 g of sugar to it quietly changes the formula. Measure the juice in milliliters and the sugar by weight if there is any doubt.
• •Choose currants that are ripe but still firm, with a few slightly underripe clusters among them. Those less-ripe berries carry valuable pectin and acidity. White currants are not decoration here; they must remain one-third of the currant weight.
• •A flour-sack towel is the honest home equivalent of the strong pressing cloth. Avoid terry cloth, cheesecloth with a loose weave, or anything washed with scented softener, all of which leave something unwanted in the juice.
• •If fresh currants are out of season, unsweetened frozen currants and raspberries may be thawed with all their juices and used in the same weights. The colour remains fine, though the set can be slightly softer. Do not replace the missing white currants with more red and still call it Method A.
• •This exact sugar ratio has not been validated as a shelf-stable canning formula. Keep the jars refrigerated and use within 1 month, or freeze the jelly for up to 6 months in suitable containers with ½ inch (12 mm) headspace.

Advance Preparation

• •Wash the jars, assemble the pressing cloth, and chill the testing plates earlier in the day. Once the sugared juice begins boiling, the jelly needs your full attention.
• •Make the jelly at least 1 day before serving so the pectin has time to settle into its final texture. Keep it refrigerated after cooling.
• •For longer storage, freeze the cooled jelly for up to 6 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and stir gently before serving if a little liquid gathers at the surface.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 20g)