'Tis the Season...

... for redcurrant jelly! At least here, above the arctic circle.

Here, long overdue (I think these photos are from july/august 2012), is my post with the excellent red currant jelly recipe I hinted at two years ago. I found the recipe in the lovely book Jam, Jelly & Relish by Ghillie James, and I'll write it in full as written in the book, for you to enjoy also.

For about 1,5 litres of Redcurrant Jelly, you'll need:

"1kg red currants, washed but kept on their stems
about 500g granulated sugar

Put the redcurrants into a pan with 500ml water and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the fruit is soft and has burst open to release its juice. Pour into a jelly bag and leave to strain through overnight."



"Measure the strained liquid into a jug. Weigh out 450g sugar per 600ml redcurrant juice and put both into a pan. Heat gently, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved, then increse the heat and bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 15 minutes then test for a set. Continue to cook util a set is achieved, then pour into warm sterilised jars and seal."



Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of the jelly in the jars, but the jelly had the most vivid red colour, and it was sweet yet tart like a good redcurrant should be. The jelly set perfectly following this recipe, and I was very pleased with myself afterwards. James' book is full of recipes for other types of preserves, including a very interesting sounding "Strawberry and Rose Petal Syrup" that I'll have to try some day. Hope you try this jelly out!

Photos taken with my Pentax MX, 35mm film, 200 iso.

All text in quotation marks are © Ghillie James.

herbs

yesterday my mum and i made some peppermint iced tea. it is always so nice to use ingredients straight from the garden when cooking, i think. i try to keep a few herbs on my windowsill at all times, since i don't have the luxury of having my own garden. yet.
if you want to make some, here's a very simple recipe:

10 leaves of peppermint, or regular mint if you prefer that
1 teabag of good ceylon tea (such as yorkshire or any breakfast tea) or if you'd rather use green tea that is good as well (there is always the option of using peppermint teabags if you cannot get your hands on fresh peppermint)
1 litre of boiled water
5-6 teaspoons of sweetener, such as honey, or plain sugar

boil water and pour over leaves and teabag in a teapot or jug, let teabag steep in water for about three minutes, remove and leave peppermint in for another five minutes. remove leaves, add sweetener and stir. leave to cool before refrigerating for a few hours. add ice cubes and enjoy.


soundtrack: Fréhel – Si tu n'étais pas là



digital photo
canon eos 400d