Redcurrant Harvest
We don’t know about you, but we find it just so exciting to be able to harvest fruit or vegetables which we sowed or planted.
We have two redcurrant bushes which we carefully cover with netting stretched over tent poles in order to keep the birds off the berries. Throughout July, the red of the berries turns more and more intense and finally, the harvest may begin.
We love making Redcurrant jam, with the fruit all in or Redcurrant jelly, with only the clear juice strained off the fruit. Muffins are really delicious with the berries in.
Here is one of our favourite recipes for tarts with meringue toppings.
Ingredients:
Shortcrust pastry (home made or ready rolled out and shop bought)
500g redcurrants
3 tbsp ground hazelnuts or almonds
3 egg-whites
150 g white caster sugar
1 pinch of salt
- Pick the berries, give them a rinse, gently dry off excess moisture and pick off the stalks
- Roll out pastry for a large tart or individual small ones, leave on greaseproof paper to put in tin, prick pastry with a fork and rub a little flower into the base. Cover the base with greaseproof paper and use ceramic baking beans to blind bake the pastry for 15 minutes at 160°C
- Remove the baking tray from the oven and leave to cool a bit until you can remove the baking beans and the top layer of paper
- Whisk the egg whites until firm, add the pinch of salt and sugar slowly and keep whisking until the mixture is glossy and firm.
- Add a sprinkling of ground hazelnuts (if used)
- Add the berries
- Spoon the meringue mixture over the berries
- Bake at 200°C for 10-15 minutes until slightly golden
- When time is up, turn oven off, open oven slightly and leave tarts to cool in the oven
- Enjoy
