Black Currant Jelly is one of the prime fruit berry jellies traditionally prepared in France.
I share how we turn garden-fresh black currants into a gourmet black currant jelly.
TL;DR
Black Currants are a very popular currant variety in France, and Europe in general. In French, they are called Cassis.
Currants are berries that grow on bushes and the most common varieties are red currants, black currants and white currants.
But, black currants taste very differently than red and white currants, which are super tart. Black currants have a strong, unique flavor and therefore they are usually not eaten raw.
Instead, they are used to making candy in France, liqueurs such as the Crème de Cassis (to make Kir Royale drink), and cakes in central and Eastern Europe.
And of course, Black currant jelly because black currants are high in natural pectin and the jelly sets and keeps well for months.
Therefore, this black currant jelly is prepared without the addition of artificial pectin. It's a typical French jelly recipe, passed down by my French grandmother to my French mother and to me.
Ingredients
You will only need 3 ingredients to make this jelly from start to finish.
- Black Currants — Freshly picked or store-bought blackcurrants.
- Water
- Sugar — Plain regular sugar.
Tip: A dash of vinegar, any truthfully, helps in cleaning your berries in water (to get rid of insects and impurities).
How to make it?
The fruit jelly is prepared in two stages. First the fruits are cooked in water, to create the infusion, secondly, the infusion is then cooked down with sugar to a set jelly.
Here is how it comes together. This is an overview, please watch the detailed video in the recipe card below.
Step 1
Pick currants and wash them in water with a dash of vinegar. The vinegar kills all tiny insects, if there are any, and removes chemical pesticides, if these are store-bought.
Weigh your currant berries.
Step 2
Place currants into a large pan and cover with water.
Step 3
Cook currants with the water until the fruits are cooked through. This is so that the water is infused with the fruit juices.
Step 4
Strain fruits with the help of a strainer or cheesecloth. Collect the infused currant juice.
Step 5
Place the black currant juice back into the clean pot, add the sugar and heat up again.
Step 6
Cook down jelly until set. Skim foam.
Test if set (see tips further below).
Step 7
After testing if it's set, proceed to pour the jelly into the jar while it is still warm and liquid.
Close with lid tight and turn upside down to create vacuum.
📖 Recipe
French Black Currant Jelly Recipe
Ingredients
For the Infusion
- 1.8 pounds Black Currants fresh, *see Notes
- 3½ cups Water
To cook down the Jelly
- 2.2 pounds Sugar *see Notes
Instructions
To Clean
- Collect black currants or purchase them.
- Wash them in clear water and add a dash of regular vinegar to kill small insects or to get rid of pesticides.
- Remove all green parts, the stems, and leaves, and collect the clean berries to weigh.
To infuse the Water
- Place clean berries with water into your jam pan.3½ cups Water, 1.8 pounds Black Currants
- Cook berries and bring to a rolling boil. The berries will pop, and the water will infuse with the berry juice.
- Once the juice water is infused and the berries have popped, strain. Strain first with a normal strainer and take the juice the second time through a fine-mesh strainer.
To cook the Jelly
- Pour the infused black currant juice back into the jam pan and add all the sugar. Mix well to dissolve sugar.2.2 pounds Sugar
- Keep over a medium high heat setting and cook down the jelly until it appears lightly translucent. This can take 20–30 minutes. Stir occasionally and skim foam.
- The jelly will thicken but will remain liquid while it's still hot. Therefore, you will need to test the setting of your jelly to know if it's done cooking. Test by dropping some hot jelly on an ice-cold plate and move around the drop of jelly. If it's running, you need to cook it down further, if it's not moving, your jelly is set. You can also test with a candy thermometer. The setting temperature is 105 Celsius/220 Fahrenheit
- Once the jelly is set, pour into clean sterilized jars. Fill up to the rim and close with a lid super tight. Turn the jar upside down to create a vacuum.
- Turn back after a little while when the jars are not hot anymore, label with name and date. Store or use and enjoy your jelly.
Notes
- 1.8 pounds/800 grams is equal to about 5 cups of black currants. This is just an approximate, and I highly recommend that you weigh your fruits to get the quantity right.
- 2.2 pounds/1 kilo granulated sugar makes about 5 cups. I still highly recommend weighing your sugar to get the ratio right.
Equipment
- 1 Jam Pan (copper) or large stainless steel pan
- 2 Fine-Mesh Sieve or Cheesecloth 1 regular with larger holes and 1 fine-mesh or cheesecloth
- 1 Silicone Spatula To help you scrape out all the jelly from the pan
- 1 Stainless Steel Mesh Skimmer to remove foam (optional)
- 5 8 oz Canning Jars or 230 ml
- 1 Soup Ladle To pour jelly into jars.
- 1 Wide Mouth Funnel Optional. Makes it easier to pour jelly into jar.
- 1 Wettex Absorbent Sponge To clean jars if you made a mess.
Nutrition
Storing
Soon after, turn the upside-down jars with the correct lid side up once the jars have cooled down a bit. If you don't do that, the jelly will set in the jar, and you will have a space in the jar bottom.
Keep it in a cool and dry place, away from direct sunlight. Keep the jar in the fridge once you open the jar.
If you worked in a clean environment with sterilized jars and lids, sealed jars are good for over 10 months.
Tips
- Black currants are rich in natural pectin, and therefore your jelly will set easily. you don't need to add pectin.
- Your jelly will always appear liquid when hot, that's alright. It will set and turn to jelly when it cools down. Be careful to not overcook your jelly because you thought it looked liquid.
- Your jelly will start to appear translucent shiny when it is set. It will have cooked down for 20–30 minutes, and then it will be a bit thicker and glossy in consistency.
- Test setting with an ice-cold plate by dropping hot jelly on the cold plate. Move around the plate, if the jelly is not running, it's ready, and you can pour it into your jars.
- Alternatively, the safest way to test your jelly setting is with a candy thermometer. The setting temperature is 105 Celsius/220 Fahrenheit.
- Use only clean jars. The best is to sterilize the jars and lids. This is important so that your jelly will last longer.
- This is a French jelly recipe, and we generally don't water-bath can jelly and jams. You are free to water bath can your jelly to add another layer of protection.
- Generally speaking, if you follow this recipe to the T and worked in a clean environment, and store your jelly in a dry cool place away from direct sunlight, your jelly will last 10–12 months at least.
- Please, don't change the ingredient quantities, as this will reduce the shelf life considerably. You have to use sugar and not honey or stevia, sugar helps in preserving your jelly and it's a main ingredient.
- Once you unseal the jar, store in your fridge. Do not eat jelly from your spoon and dip it back into the jar, so to avoid mold growth.
Serving
We enjoy homemade black currant jelly spread over a slice of bread or on a bun.
You can use this jelly just like any other jelly to layer cakes, to fill pastries (doughnuts) or to fill cookies, as in Thumbprint cookies.
My mum has a grilling book, where black currant jelly is used as a sauce with meats.
So, technically, you can try serving your jelly with grilled meats and other main course meat meals as the jelly is sweet, fruity, and slightly tangy.
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