Best Red Currant Jelly Recipes

RED CURRANT JELLY

Steps:

• Place the currants into a large pot, and crush with a potato masher or berry crusher if you have one. Pour in 1 cup of water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the fruit through a jelly cloth or cheese cloth, and measure out 5 cups of the juice.
• Pour the juice into a large saucepan, and stir in the sugar. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat, and stir in the liquid pectin immediately. Return to a full rolling boil, and allow to boil for 30 seconds.
• Remove from heat and skim off foam from the top. Ladle or pour into sterile 1/2 pint jars, filling to within 1/2 inch of the top. Wipe the rims with a clean damp cloth. Cover with new sterile lids and rings. Process covered in a bath of simmering water for 10 minutes or the time recommended by your local extension for your area.

RED CURRANT & RASPBERRY JELLY

Steps:

• Using a potato masher, crush currants in a very large stainless steel or enamel saucepan.
• Add water& bring to a boil over high heat.
• Reduce heat, cover& boil gently for 10 minutes.
• Add raspberries, return to a boil& boil gently for 3 minutes.
• Strain mixture through a coarse sieve, pressing pulp to extract juice& discarding the solids.
• If you want, you can now pour the juice through a jelly bag (cheesecloth)- I'm lazy& don't do this!
• You should have 4 cups of juice - when I don't get that amount, I top up with cranberry cocktail - combine juice with sugar in a very large stainless steel or enamel saucepan.
• Bring to a boil& boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat, stir in pectin& ladle into sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space.
• Be sure to remove any air bubbles.
• Place jars into boiling water in canner, add enough water to cover lids by 2 inches& return to boil.
• Boil for 5 minutes.
• Remove from canner, cool, label& store in cool, dark place.

ROAST TURKEY WITH RED CURRANT JELLY AND CITRUS GLAZE

Steps:

• Make turkey:
• Combine water and salt in large stockpot; stir to dissolve salt. Rinse turkey inside and out. Add turkey to brine. Cover pot; refrigerate overnight. Stir butter and jelly in small sauce-pan over medium heat until melted. Mix in marjoram, orange peel and lemon peel. Freeze mixture until semi-firm, whisking occasionally, about 1 hour.
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F. Drain turkey; pat dry inside and out. Sprinkle shallots in roasting pan. Place turkey atop shallots. Starting at neck end, slide hand between skin and breast meat to loosen skin. Spread 1/2 cup chilled jelly mixture over breast meat under skin and over outside of turkey (reserve remaining jelly mixture for gravy and glaze). If stuffing turkey, spoon stuffing loosely into neck and main cavities. Tuck wing tips under tur-key; tie legs together to hold shape.
• Roast turkey 45 minutes, adding some broth to pan if drippings threaten to burn. Reduce oven temperature to 350?F. Cover turkey loosely with foil. Roast until thermometer inserted into thigh registers 180?°F, adding more broth to pan if necessary to keep drippings from burning and basting turkey occasionally with drippings, about 3 hours longer if unstuffed or 3 1/2 hours longer if stuffed. If necessary, uncover turkey during last 20 minutes to brown skin. Transfer turkey to platter. Tent with foil; let stand 30 minutes. Re-serve mixture in pan for gravy.
• Make gravy:
• Strain pan juices into large measuring cup; spoon off fat. Add Giblet Stock; if necessary, add enough broth to measure 4 cups. Transfer mixture to large saucepan; bring to boil. Stir 4 tablespoons reserved jelly mixture and flour in bowl to form paste. Whisk paste into stock mixture. Add Port and citrus juices; boil until reduced enough to coat spoon thickly, about 12 minutes. Mix in orange peel. Season with salt and pepper.
• Brush warm turkey with enough remaining jelly mixture to glaze.

RED CURRANT POMEGRANATE CRANBERRY JELLY, REDUCED SUGAR

Steps:

• Pour all juices and water into heavy cooking pot.
• In a small bowl, combine pectin and ¼ c sugar.
• Add to juices in pot and stir well.
• Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly.
• After liquid comes to a boil, quickly add remaining sugar and mix in well.
• Bring mixture back to a hard rolling boil (a boil that cannot be stirred down) and boil for one minute.
• Remove from heat and quickly ladle hot liquid into sterilized jars.
• Screw on lids and process for 5 minutes in boiling water bath.
• Remove from bath and wait for lids to"pop".
• If all processed properly, let sit undisturbed for 24 hours before testing for gel.
• If some of your jars did not process properly, refer to your pectin box for re-processing or put in your refrigerator and treat as open jar of jelly, using within one month.
• *Note: To make red currant juice, wash red currants well (you don't need to remove stems).
• Put berries in heavy cooking pot and add ½ cup water.
• Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
• Pour cooked fruit into a jelly bag and let drip over bowl for several hours, or until done dripping.
• Don't try to coax the juice out quicker by squeezing the jelly bag or your jelly will come out cloudy.
• 4 pints of berries gave me 2 cups juice.

ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH RED CURRANT JELLY GRAVY

Steps:

• Crush juniper berries with mustard, pepper, 2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoon water. Spread on lamb.
• Place lamb, fat side up on rack in open roasting pan.
• Roast 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours in 325f oven. Roast until internal temperature reaches 145f for rare, 160f for medium.
• Pour pan juices into 2 cup measure: let stand until fat separates, then remove fat and discard.
• Add 1 1/4 cups water to roasting pan, cooking over medium heat, stirring to loosen bits. Add gin to liquid in cup, adding water to make 1 3/4 cups.
• In saucepan over medium heat add measured liquid, and jelly and cook until boiling, constantly stirring until jelly is melted.
• Blend cornstarch, and 1/4 cup water until ii is thickened.
• Carve lamb and serve sauce separately.

ROAST TURKEY WITH RED CURRANT JELLY AND CITRUS GLAZE

Steps:

• Make turkey:.
• Combine water and salt in large stockpot; stir to dissolve salt.
• Rinse turkey inside and out.
• Add turkey to brine.
• Cover pot; refrigerate overnight.
• Stir butter and jelly in small sauce-pan over medium heat until melted.
• Mix in marjoram, orange peel and lemon peel.
• Freeze mixture until semi-firm, whisking occasionally, about 1 hour.
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F
• Drain turkey; pat dry inside and out.
• Sprinkle shallots in roasting pan.
• Place turkey atop shallots.
• Starting at neck end, slide hand between skin and breast meat to loosen skin.
• Spread 1/2 cup chilled jelly mixture over breast meat under skin and over outside of turkey (reserve remaining jelly mixture for gravy and glaze).
• If stuffing turkey, spoon stuffing loosely into neck and main cavities.
• Tuck wing tips under turkey; tie legs together to hold shape.
• Roast turkey 45 minutes, adding some broth to pan if drippings threaten to burn.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350°F
• Cover turkey loosely with foil.
• Roast until thermometer inserted into thigh registers 180°F, adding more broth to pan if necessary to keep drippings from burning and basting turkey occasionally with drippings, about 3 hours longer if unstuffed or 3 1/2 hours longer if stuffed.
• If necessary, uncover turkey during last 20 minutes to brown skin.
• Transfer turkey to platter.
• Tent with foil; let stand 30 minutes.
• Re-serve mixture in pan for gravy.
• Make gravy:.
• Strain pan juices into large measuring cup; spoon off fat.
• Add Giblet Stock; if necessary, add enough broth to measure 4 cups.
• Transfer mixture to large saucepan; bring to boil.
• Stir 4 tablespoons reserved jelly mixture and flour in bowl to form paste.
• Whisk paste into stock mixture.
• Add Port and citrus juices; boil until reduced enough to coat spoon thickly, about 12 minutes.
• Mix in orange peel.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Brush warm turkey with enough remaining jelly mixture to glaze.

RED CURRANT JELLY THUMBPRINT COOKIES

Steps:

• In large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy.
• Separate eggs.
• Place whites in a small bowl, lightly beat; set aside.
• Add egg yolks and vanilla to butter mixture.
• Beat well.
• In another bowl, stir together flour and salt.
• Gradually add flour & salt to butter mixture, Blending thoroughly.
• With your hands, roll dough into balls about 1-inch diameter.
• Dip each ball in eggs whites, then roll in finely chopped walnuts to coat.
• Place on greased baking sheets,spacing 1 inch apart.
• With your thumb or the tip of a spoon (I use my thumb), make an indentation inthe center of each ball.
• Neatly fill each indentation with 1/4 teaspoon jelly or jam.
• (If using icing fill each cookie after baking.) Bake in a 375° oven for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Let cool on baking sheets for about 1 minute, then transfer to rack and let cool completely.
• This is when I fill each with icing.

RED CURRANT JELLY

Steps:

• You don't have to top and tail the currants, or even take them off their stems. Simply wash them, put into a preserving pan with 1 3/4 cups of water, then simmer until they are very soft and have released all their juice. This will take about 45 minutes. Strain through a jelly strainer bag or cheesecloth (see p. 33) for several hours or overnight. Do not poke, squeeze, or force the pulp through the bag or you'll get cloudy jelly.
• Measure the juice, put it into the cleaned preserving pan, and bring to a boil. For every cup of juice add 1 cup of sugar, adding it only when the juice is boiling. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, ensuring the sides of the pan are free of undissolved sugar crystals. Then boil rapidly for about 8 minutes, or until the setting point is reached (see p. 41).
• Remove from the heat and stir to disperse any scum, then pour into warm, sterilized jars and seal (see pp. 21-22). Tap the jars to disperse any air bubbles caught in the jelly. Use within 1 year.
• Add a couple of tablespoonfuls of chopped fresh mint to the jelly for the last 2 to 3 minutes of boiling.
• Red currant jelly is the core ingredient of Cumberland sauce, a traditional partner to baked ham and game. Just add 1/4 cup of port, the grated zest of 1 orange and 1 unwaxed lemon, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, a pinch or two of English mustard powder (see p. 202), and perhaps a pinch of ground ginger to 10 tablespoons of red currant jelly.