5 Ingredients or Fewer

Currants & Cream

by:
May 17, 2021
5
3 Ratings
Photo by Julia Gartland. Prop Stylist:Veronica Olson. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog.
  • Prep time 6 hours
  • Cook time 20 minutes
  • Serves 4 to 6
Author Notes

There's not much to this besides sugar, cream, and fruit folded together—similar to a fool. Because of the white chocolate, it is a bit sweet, so the tart, perfumed currants pair with it perfectly. It can be prepared ahead of time and left to chill until you're ready to serve it; a lifesaver in the heat.

Reprinted with permission from Wild Sweetness by Thalia Ho (Harper Design 2021).thalia ho

Test Kitchen Notes

Our test kitchen couldn’t snag black currants, so we swapped in blackberries instead. More from Thalia on substitutes in her Big Little Recipes column: “I find that blackberries are the best alternative, as their earthiness contrasts well against the dairy, but raspberries are also a good choice. I wouldn’t go so far as strawberries, whose sweet and floral perfume would swamp the cream.” —The Editors

Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
  • Cream
  • 2/3 cup finely chopped white chocolate
  • 1 2/3 cups heavy cream
  • Currants
  • 1 1/4 cups black currants
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons crème de cassis
Directions
  1. First, make the cream. Put the chocolate into a medium-size heatproof bowl. In a medium-size saucepan, bring 1 cup (240 milliliters) of cream to a boil, then pour it over the chocolate. Let stand for a minute, then stir until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill until cold, at least 6 hours.
  2. Next, put the currants into a medium-size saucepan along with the sugar and crème de cassis. Heat over medium-low heat until just slumped, being careful not to let them lose their form completely. The juices should be thick and syrup-like, too. Like the cream, chill until cold.
  3. When you're ready to serve, put the white chocolate into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, then add the remaining cream. Whip to soft peaks. Fold in the currants softly, until streaked. The less you fold, the more distinct the streak, so try to do it as little as possible—just enough to get them rippled through. Serve cold, soon after.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

4 Reviews

Nancy July 14, 2021
Just made for the third time with fresh raspberries from the garden. I used Framboise instead of cassis to complement the raspberry flavor. This is an easy and delicious recipe.
Hashmel May 17, 2021
This is the best Costco very berry sundae you'll ever have.
Birgit C. May 4, 2021
The picture shows blackberries or perhaps black raspberries, but definitely not black currants.
marie May 4, 2021
Question: does heating the creme de cassis take the alcohol content out? (for those of us who do not drink)