When making preparations for the winter, many housewives prefer jam, compotes and freezing. Candied black currants are a real delicacy that retains vitamins and excellent taste. You should find out how to prepare an original homemade dessert yourself, so that you can later add it to baked goods, decorate cakes, and use it as a treat for tea.
Due to the high sugar content, dessert consumption should be moderate
Candied black currants
It’s not difficult to prepare candied currants at home; you will need the following ingredients:
- black currant – 2 kg;
- water – 400 ml;
- sugar – 2.5 kg.
It is necessary to perform a number of sequential actions:
- Sort the fresh berries, remove any debris, tear off the stems.
- Wash the blackcurrants and dry them a little, scattering them on the fabric in a thin layer.
- Boil water, add sugar.
- Wait until it is completely dissolved and the liquid becomes transparent.
- Place the blackcurrants in a saucepan and pour in the syrup.
- Bring to a boil, turn off the heat and leave for 12 hours.
- Prepare a large baking sheet on which to pour a thin layer of granulated sugar.
- Carefully remove with a slotted spoon and place blackcurrant berries on it in one layer.
- Gradually, over six days, dry them in the oven without closing the door and turning it on for 2-3 hours a day.
- When fully prepared, pour into a tightly sealed glass container.
To add an original taste, add the zest of lemons or oranges to the syrup.
The cooking recipe can be slightly modified:
- Clean berries are immediately laid out in one layer on a baking sheet.
- Sprinkle them with sugar (200 g per 1 kg of black currants).
- Preheat the oven to 200 ⁰C and place future candied fruits there.
- Leave for about 20 minutes, making sure that they do not burn, but warm up evenly.
- Once ready, pour them into foil and dry.
- Add any nuts.
- Store in a clean glass container with a tight-fitting lid.
Candied red currants
To prepare candied red currants, you should choose varieties with a high dry matter content and a minimum number of seeds.
First, cook the sugar syrup. To do this, pour one glass of water into a saucepan, dissolve 1.5 kg of sugar, and boil until completely transparent (about 10 minutes).
The procedure for preparing candied fruits is as follows:
- Fresh berries are washed in cold water and drained in a colander.
- Pour them into a saucepan with syrup and boil for 5 minutes.
- Leave for 10 hours.
- Place on the stove again and boil for 20 minutes.
- The boiling mass is removed from the heat and filtered.
- Leave for two hours to allow the syrup to completely drain and the currants to cool.
- Sprinkle the tray or dish with powdered sugar.
- Place 10-15 pieces of cooled candied fruits on it in heaps.
- Maintain in this state at room temperature for a week or in the oven for 3 hours at 45 ⁰C.
- Roll the dried berries into balls, roll them in sugar and dry them again in the oven at 45 °C for 3 hours.
To determine readiness, squeeze the ball with your fingers. It should be elastic and not release juice. To prevent the prepared product from drying out, it is packaged in glass jars with tight lids, where it is stored.
The berries reach the ready stage at a syrup temperature of –108 ⁰С
Candied currants in the dryer
Using a dryer to prepare candied fruits simplifies the process and prevents burning.
To get a tasty and healthy product, you need to follow the step-by-step instructions:
- Peel the berries and wash them in cold water.
- Cover the blackcurrants with granulated sugar, using the ingredients in a 1:1 ratio.
- Leave overnight or for 8 hours to allow the juice to release.
- Cook for 5 minutes. and leave again for 8 hours.
- Drain in a colander and allow all the juice to drain.
- Place on drying trays for 10-12 hours.
- Place the finished product in clean glass jars.
Candied fruits are prepared not only from currants, but also from other berries, vegetables and fruits
In the refrigerator, the delicacy is stored for up to six months in a hermetically sealed container. The syrup can be used to soak cakes, ice cream and make drinks, so it is poured into sterile jars and sealed tightly.
Conclusion
Candied black currants prepared by yourself are in no way inferior to the product you can buy in the store. Their appearance may not be so presentable, but the naturalness of the ingredients and their high quality play a decisive role in the choice.Recipes for making candied fruits are simple and accessible for experienced and novice housewives.
