Bottled Currants for Winter Tarts

Ingredients

• the fruit
• a quarter of a pound of moist sugar to each pound of fruit
• some bladder
• a pan of cold water

Method

1. 1

   Gather dry currants, place in clean bottles, cover with water, and seal with soaked bladder.

2. 2

   Place bottles in cold water, heat until just boiling, then cool.

3. 3

   Store bottles neck down in a dry place.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Cassell's dictionary of cookery (1892) by Cassell & Company, page 448. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

the fruit has been gathered when it was quite dry or it will not keep. Pick it and put it into clean, wide- mouthed, di-y bottles. A few strawberries or rasi^bernes may be added or not. Cover the fruit with water. Soak some bladder in water, tie a little iinnly over the top of each bottle, and wrap a little hay round the bottles ; then put them into a pan of cold water, and let them stand upright without touching one another; the Avater should reach nearly t& the necks of the bottles. Put the pan on the fire, and when the water is on the point of boiling, draw it to one side, and let it remain for half an hour. The bottles should not be taken out of the water until it is nearly cold. Tie strong paper over each bottle, and keep them in a bottle-rack in a cool, dry place, with the necks downwards. The fruit will keep good for years. The water must not boil. Shake the fruit well down, or the bottles will not be more than half full. Currants, To Clean. — The best way to clean dried currants is to rub a handful of tlour into them; then put them into a colander, shake it well to get rid of the stalks, and after- wards pour over the cuiTants a little cold water. Press the cun-ants in a soft cloth and lay them on a dish, look them carefully over to see that no small stones are amongst them, put them on the hearth at a little distance from the fire, and let them gradually dry. If placed too near, so as to dry very quickly, thev wiU be liard. Currants, to Keep, for Tarts.— Gather Vae fruit when it is quite dry and not over-ripe, pick it from the sUilks, and put it into a large dry earthen jar, with a quarter of a pound of moist .sugar 'to each pound of frui

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.