Berry Mousse
Easy to make non-dairy, no fat dessert for both hot summer day and holiday table.
For 4 persons
Ingredients
4 tbs of Farina (sold in the cereal aisle)
10 ¼ oz. (300 gm) fresh red currants (you can use defrosted berries)
4 oz. (100 gm) sugar if you like very sweet you can go up to 6 ½ oz. ( 200 gm)
3 cups of water
Directions
1. Squeeze the juice from the berries, and put it in a refrigerator. Don’t waste the pulp.
2. Put the pulp in the pan with 3 cups of water and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the the liquid for 5 min.
3. Strain the pulp out of the liquid (now you can waste the pulp) and put the liquid back in the pan. Add sugar and bring the liquid to a boil then reduce the heat and put in Farina while constantly stirring. Make sure that the Farina does not make clumps.
4. Simmer the Farina for 15 min stirring frequently, and then take it from the stove and cool for a few min.
5. Add the refrigerated juice to the Farina and whip it with an electric mixer for a few min. The total volume should increase almost twice (it could be less).
6. Pour the desert into small bowls and put them in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until cool. It could be topped with whipped cream or fresh berries .
It is good to serve this dessert on the same day as prepared. The next day is also tasty, but not as foamy.
Aronia blackberry jam
This jam is an absolute delicacy. It has a unique flavor and wonderful sweet sour taste.
To prepare this jam, take 8 parts of Aronia berries and 2 parts of blackberries or fresh blackberry juice. Take 1 part of the berry mixture and add ½ part of sugar. For example: 2 lb of berries mixture and 1 lb of sugar. Put the berry mixture in a wide pan in which you will prepare the jam and put sugar over the berries and shake the mixture so that the berries will be coated with sugar. Leave the berries with sugar overnight or at least for a few hours until the sugar would draw the juice from the berries so you can start boiling them. Bring the berry with sugar mixture to a boil, constantly stirring. Then reduce the heat and simmer the jam for 40 min. Stir frequently. Aronia berries have high pectin content so you don’t have to add any commercially produced pectin. Aronia berries may not break completely, but if you like berries to be broken, you can just mash them during boiling.
Put the jam in the jam jars while it is hot. Keep the jam in a cool place.
To prepare Aronia-blackberry jelly, use the above recipe. Put the berry juice in the same proportion with each other and then add sugar as for the jam. 100 ml of juice is equals roughly to 100 gm. Since the pectin is mostly in the skin of berries you need to put additional pectin. 2 pouches of liquid pectin for 2-3 pound of juice.
Red or Black currant jam
The secret to a flavorful currant jam is not putting too much sugar in and not over boiling it. Currant jam is sour and if put in sterilized jars and seal them, it will keep for a few years in the refrigerator.
To prepare a jam, take 2 parts of berries and 1 part sugar. For example: 2 lb of berries and 1 lb of sugar. Put the berries in a wide pan in which you will prepare the jam and put sugar over the berries and shake the mixture so that the berries will be coated with sugar. Leave the berries with sugar overnight or at least for a few hours until the sugar draws the juice from the berries so you can start boiling them. Bring the berry and sugar mix to a boil, constantly stirring. Then reduce the heat and simmer the jam for 40 min. Stir frequently. These berries have high pectin content so you don’t have to add any commercially produced pectin.
Put the jam in the jam jars while it is hot. Keep the jam in a cool place.
To prepare currant jelly, use the above recipe. Put the berry juice in the same proportion with sugar as for the jam. 100 ml of juice is equals roughly to 100 gm. Since the pectin is mostly in the skin of berries you need to put additional pectin. 1 pouch of liquid pectin for 2-3 pound of juice.
Apple and black or red currant pie
Aronia and black or red currants are naturally sour and fit perfectly in a pie baked together with apples.
Ingredients
Ready made pastry for two crust pie or you can do it from scratch
1 can of apple pie filling
1 cup of aronia, red or black currant berries fresh or frozen
1/3 cup of raisins
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F
1. Unroll the pie crust according manufacturer's instructions and place one of the crusts into a well greased 9 inch pie pan. The other crust can wait unrolled on a dinner plate.
2. Spread the apple pie filling on the crust which is in the pie pan.
3. Put berries on the apple pie filling in such a way that they would not touch the crust, and press slightly
4. Put the raisins on the top of the berries and press slightly. Raisins can touch the crust.
5. On the top of raisins put the walnuts and press slightly.
6. Now that the first crust is filled place the second crust on top and press the edges of the two crusts together and fold them over towards the center of the pie. Make holes in the upper crust with a toothpick for the vapors to escape.
7. Bake the pie for approximately 50 min or until crust is dark golden in color.
8. Cool the pie to at least room temperature before serving.
Suggestions.
The raisins adds more sweetness to the pie and also absorbs the extra juices from the berries which could make the pie “runny”. This pie is somewhat sour-sweet, but not overly sweet. If you like a sweet pie you can add some sugar over the berries. Red currants also can be combined with peach pie filling. Currants can be substituted with lingonberries. I found that black currants are the best to combine with the apple pie filling.
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