These jewel-like ruby berries used in an Easy Redcurrant and Mint Dressing add elegance, sharpness of flavour and vibrancy to foods such as Lamb. Or use Frozen Redcurrants in place of ice and add to sparkling wine or gin and tonic ….
In season from late June to September, redcurrants are most often used in the UK for making redcurrant jelly, which is delicious with Roast lamb or Game Stew. But for something lighter in the warm weather the Redcurrant and Mint Dressing, recipe given below, can be more appropriate and it looks lovely. Have the dressing with Slow Roast Lamb or grilled lamb chops and, perhaps, some Beetroot Salad or Pea Salad. Add a New Potato Salad or some Barley or Quinoa salad, see A Kind of Tabbouleh, and you have a summer roast for a lovely day. Click on the links for recipes in these Sherbhert pages.
To Prepare Redcurrants strip them from the stems, wash them and pat them dry.
Use them as they are or, to freeze them, spread them out on a freezer friendly tray and once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag and use them as needed. They are particularly good in drinks in place of ice. Add some to gin and tonic together with a sprig of thyme or rosemary and a slice of orange or add a few to a glass of sparkling wine, they add a special flavour and look great.
Easy Redcurrant and Mint Dressing
Enough for 8
100g granulated sugar
100mls water
White wine vinegar to taste, about 50 – 100mls
100g fresh (or frozen and defrosted) redcurrants, prepared as above
A handful of fresh mint leaves
Take good care over kitchen safety whilst dealing with this boiling sugar etc.
- Put the sugar and water in a small sturdy pan over very low heat and let the sugar completely dissolve in the water. This will take around 5 minutes. Give it a gentle stir occasionally to check how it’s doing but it is important that the sugar has completely dissolved before the water starts to boil.
- Once the sugar has dissolved, raise the heat and bring the mixture to a rolling boil for 3 minutes and then remove the pan from the heat and tip in 50mls of the white wine vinegar. Be careful as it may spit and splutter. Stir it and let it cool for around 10 minutes and then add the redcurrants and taste it. You will probably want to add more of the white wine vinegar, but you can decide on that.
- Just before serving, chop the mint leaves and stir into the dressing. If you add the mint earlier, it will change from vibrant to sludgy green. It will still taste good but won’t look as good.
- Serve the dressing in a bowl with a spoon for people to sprinkle over the lamb.
