Simple and original recipes for making red and black currant compote with gooseberries for the winter

Every housewife tries to stock up on vitamins for the winter and preserve vegetables and fruits in their most pristine form. For this purpose, there are recipes for jams, pickles, marinades, accumulated over many generations, summarized in collections of advice and cookery books. And many will probably be interested in learning how to prepare a delicious compote of red currants and ripe gooseberries for the winter - for this you will need to read this article to the end.

Features of preparing gooseberry and currant compote

Cooking is almost an art: one extra ingredient, and the taste changes exactly the opposite. Although it is believed that real masterpieces are created this way. In relation to the situation with gooseberry and currant compote, you need to take into account the fact that both products contain a large amount of ascorbic acid, also known as vitamin C. This means that you will need to “balance” the excess acidity with sugar, but not exceed the norm, so as not to bring the product to the point of cloying. It is also impossible to boil the mixture for a long time: high temperature destroys most vitamins and microelements, turning the healthy compote into colored sweet water.

Therefore, a drink from gooseberries and currants is prepared according to a special recipe, but the secret of a real fortified cocktail will be revealed a little later.

Which varieties of currants to choose

In order for the compote to be truly tasty, rich, and, most importantly, to retain its beneficial qualities for a long time, it is necessary to choose ripe berries and follow certain rules - otherwise the final product may turn out to be too sour or, conversely, overly cloying, and the pleasure from it will be hopelessly spoiled.

Breeders have developed a great variety of currant varieties; they differ in fruit size and taste, but the main ones come down to 3 types:

• black;
• red;
• white.

Appetizing, rich in useful substances, including vitamins C, A, groups B, P, E, sugar, essential oils, pectins, organic acids and microelements, berries are useful in all varieties. Most of all, currants contain ascorbic acid and retinol (vitamins A and C), and white currants are superior to black ones in the content of folic acid and carotene.

The fruits are also rich in antioxidants and are low-calorie foods (42 calories per 100 grams). Therefore, it is difficult to specifically recommend the choice of one type or another. It's better to rely on your personal preferences.

Important. Currant berries, regardless of variety and size, are very tasty, juicy, and also healthy: they contain vitamins A, C, B, organic acids, antioxidants and microelements - a real natural storehouse! You definitely need to make compote from them.

Selecting gooseberry varieties before starting the process

Gooseberries are a unique plant with fruits of a characteristic striped color, but its value is not only in form, but also in content. The following varieties are known to grow in Russia: English, Emerald, Russian, Smena, Honey, Moscow, Spring, Dessert and many others.

The berries contain provitamins A, vitamins B and C, as well as polysaccharides, minerals, pectins, and trace elements. Dark varieties are rich in vitamin P, which helps neutralize heavy metal compounds.

In general, the choice of one type or another is not so important as the classification according to the degree of ripeness. The fact is that slightly unripe fruits are suitable for compote; it is desirable that they be approximately the same size. Overripe berries are suitable for jellies and jams, but completely green ones will not allow the full rich potential of gooseberries to be revealed.

Important. There is an opinion that in gooseberry compote, which has a unique taste and rich, fresh aroma, the presence of currants enhances these qualities and color, since without it the infusion turns out to be very light and transparent.

Preparing the main ingredients

Before preparing a tasty and healthy compote, you need to do a few simple, simple steps. They will preserve the properties of the berries and also make the drink aesthetically pleasing. Yes, yes, because nutritionists believe that food should be not only nutritious, but also beautiful, which is why so much attention is paid to serving in restaurants and self-respecting catering establishments.

So, a step-by-step algorithm for processing berries:

1. The collected gooseberries and currants are sorted, washed, stems are removed, ripe and green fruits are sorted. The gooseberries are lightly pricked, as they have a thick skin (so that the syrup gets inside and the berries are cooked well).
2. The dishes are being prepared. If the compote is intended to be consumed immediately, then a saucepan will be enough; if for storage, then you will also need glass jars of the required quantity and volume.
3. You will definitely need granulated sugar, exactly how much will become clear based on the consumption of berries.
4. The last component is the lids (needed if we are talking about preparations for the winter).

These are all the main ingredients and components that a housewife may need before cooking compote.

How to make gooseberry and currant compote at home

There are several recipes for preparing a tasty, aromatic compote that is good to cool off in the summer heat, using it for breakfast or as an aperitif, as well as for stocking up for the future (for a long, cold winter, when the body especially needs a vitamin boost). They differ in the proportions of the components and some additional additives that improve the taste, but, in general, they do not present any particular difficulties in preparation.

A simple recipe for the winter

To implement a simple way to treat yourself to something delicious, you will need: picked berries, a pan of suitable size and granulated sugar. The fruits are washed, the stems are removed (for gooseberries - on both sides, for currants, dried leaves are removed), and prepared for cooking. In total, you will need 1 glass of each type (this is about 250 grams), you can experiment with currants: mix red and black or black and white in equal parts, the taste will benefit from this.

Pour cold water (3 liters) into cleanly washed dishes, add sugar (200 grams), mix, bring to a boil to form a syrup. It is very important to understand that the final goal is not to boil the berries, but to lightly treat them with a hot solution.

Therefore, the mixture of fruits in syrup is brought to a boil, then kept on low heat for no more than 2 minutes, removed from the stove and allowed to brew. Gooseberry compote acquires a rich taste and aroma over time, which is why the last condition was invented. Next, the finished drink is cooled, poured into a jug and consumed - with cookies, buns, gingerbread, or simply as a tonic.

Without sterilization

This recipe contains some trick: you still have to sterilize, but not the finished compote, but only the jars with lids. You will need to make a calculation to determine the consumption of components and the amount of glass containers. Berries, water and sugar will be needed in approximately the following proportions:

• 200 grams of gooseberries;
• 300 grams of currants;
• 300 grams of sugar;
• 2.5 liters of water.

This is the calculation for one 3 liter jar. For smaller or larger volumes it is adjusted. You can take red currants; in this case, they leave branches.Next, simultaneously with the sterilization of the container, the syrup is prepared: it is brought to a boil and “cooked” for 2-3 minutes. Then the hot solution is poured into the prepared jar, in an amount of about 0.5-1 liters, the fruits are poured there and at the end they are filled with liquid under the neck.

After this, the lid is rolled up, the finished compote is turned upside down (this is how the lids are pulled in better), covered with a blanket and allowed to cool completely during the day.

The method is simple but effective: thanks to the interaction with hot syrup, the berries are blanched, completely preserving all the healing substances, and the lack of air in the jar does not allow fermentation processes to develop.

With raspberries

Another original recipe that has every right to exist. To implement it you will need (quantity indicated in glasses):

• ripe but strong gooseberries (2 tbsp.);
• raspberries (3 tbsp.);
• granulated sugar (2 tbsp.);
• clean water (10 tbsp.).

Important. Variations in the amount of sugar are allowed for those with a sweet tooth, but not less than the specified norm.

The berries are sorted, debris, stalks, and unusable fruits are separated from them. It is recommended to wash the gooseberries and raspberries in a colander, leaving them to drain at the end of the procedure. Next, standard processing of the cans is carried out: washing, sterilization in boiling water. At the same time, the syrup is being prepared; the process consists of pouring sugar into hot water and stirring thoroughly until completely dissolved. You can cook it a little, but not for long (no more than 3 minutes).

Fruits (in equal proportions) are poured into the prepared container, which are then filled with a hot sugar solution.The last stage remains - sterilization of the compote itself: a towel is placed in a pan with a wide bottom (to avoid direct contact of the bottom of the jars with the metal), and then the lidded jars are placed. The water level should reach approximately the hanger; the container should be boiled for 40 minutes, always over low heat. Then the jars are carefully removed, rolled up with lids, turned upside down and left in this position for about a day. Delicious homemade compote for the winter is ready.

With cherry

This recipe is a real assortment of taste and color: dark cherries contrast well with lighter gooseberries, and the taste sensations from this compote are difficult to put into words. You will need:

• cherry;
• gooseberry;
• sugar;
• lemon acid.

Cooking begins with sorting out the berries: the stems, stalks, and leaves are removed from gooseberries, and the pits from cherries. The fruits are washed in a sieve or colander under running water. A 3-liter glass jar is washed with soda or dish soap, rinsed, and sterilized over a boiling kettle (steam). The tin lid for preservation is prepared separately, it is boiled for 5 minutes.

The compote is prepared in 2 stages: first, the berry is poured into a jar, filled with water preheated to a boil and left to cool. Then the water is poured into a saucepan, sugar is added there, the mixture is boiled with stirring until a homogeneous composition is obtained. The hot syrup is poured into the jar again, a pinch of citric acid is poured into it (on the tip of a knife), after which the lid is rolled up. Next, the container is turned over, wrapped and left in this form for several hours.

Component consumption per 3 liters is:

• 200 grams of gooseberries and cherries;
• 250 grams of granulated sugar;
• a pinch of lemon.

How long does compote last?

It is advisable to consume the finished drink, brewed from fresh berries, as quickly as possible: this way it will be more beneficial and the tasting will not end in food poisoning. Compotes rolled into jars are a completely different matter: they can be safely stored for a whole year, until the new harvest, and there is no need to even put them in the refrigerator. But if there are seeds left in the berries, the shelf life is reduced: such fruits accumulate hydrocyanic acid over time - a strong poison that is dangerous to humans.

Rules for storing gooseberry and currant drink

Sterilized preserves are stored in a dark place, protected from direct sunlight - a pantry, basement or cellar. You can also use a refrigerator for these purposes, but it is not necessary: ​​without access to air, the food inside the jar will not oxidize; they do not need extra cold.

A tasty, healthy, carefully prepared drink from juicy berries with your own hands will definitely come in handy both in the summer heat and in the cold winter - in it you will find a real supply of vitamins and microelements.