Making Black Currant (Cassis) Ice Cream

Black Currant Ice Cream (Homemade.)

We have several black currant bushes here at the house in Marble Mountain, and this year there's a pretty good crop.  In the past I have made black currant jam, but I decided to try something different this year.  I looked up recipes for using black currants and found this recipe for black currant ice cream.  I picked about a quart the other day, and here's the results.  I might add picking them is labor intensive.  They are small and don't fall off easily.

Ingredients:

1 lb. (450g) fresh  or frozen blackcurrants, defrosted if frozen
6 oz. (175g) sugar
10 fl oz, (275 ml) whipping cream

This recipe is adapted from Delia's Recipes.

Black currants on bush are small and hard to pick.

One quart of fresh black  currants.

Place about one third of a pound (5 oz/150 g) at a time, into the sieve set over a mixing bowl, and mash like mad with a wooden spoon until you have extracted all the pulp and only the stalks, pips and skins are left in the sieve.

Mash through sieve to extract pulp.

Now place the sugar and 5 fl oz (150 ml) water in a saucepan over a medium heat, stir until all the sugar crystals have dissolved, then let it come to the boil, and boil for 3 minutes exactly. Then remove from the heat and stir the syrup into the fruit pulp.

Boil sugar and water for just 3 minutes.

The pulp with syrup added.

Whip the cream until it just begins to thicken. Be careful not to overwhip: it mustn't be thick, just floppy. Fold the cream into the fruit mixture until thoroughly blended. 

Add whipped cream to pulp mixture.

Mixed thoroughly and ready to freeze.

Pour it into the polythene box, and freeze in a freezer or in the ice-making compartment of a fridge turned to its coldest setting.

As soon as the mixture begins to set (after about 3 hours) turn it out into a bowl and beat thoroughly.

Place in freezer-proof box. (I used an empty ice cream carton.)

Then return it to the freezer (in the box) until set – about another 3 hours. Remove to the main part of the fridge about an hour before serving.

This is very good, and the sauce is good over pancakes or over vanilla ice cream.

Black Currant Ice Cream with Black Currant Sauce.