Nobody's Mad

This one is for anyone who craves black currants in a crumble with a sparkling taste and simple ingredients.  The topping is economical and multi-purpose.  Use it for any fruit crumble and for Dutch apple pie.  This recipe serves eight, but the ingredients lend themselves to smaller batches.

Oven: 375 degrees, f.

Topping:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter or solid margarine

Filling:

• 4 cups fresh black currants
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 T. cornstarch
• 2/3 to 1 cup sugar*

Prepare the topping by cutting the topping ingredients together with pastry fork.  Set aside.  Wash, drain, and tail and top the currants, and set them aside.  Mix the cornstarch and water together until very smooth.  Stir the sugar into the cornstarch mixture.  Gently  stir the mixture into the prepared berries and set aside to rest 15 minutes in an oven-proof dish.  Sprinkle the topping over the currant mixture and pat the topping down lightly.  Bake in a pre-heated oven until the crumble is golden and bubbly.

*The lesser amount of sugar makes a tart crumble, the kind we like.  We recommend using the lesser amount the first time you try the recipe– and go from there.

Chinese.

Expected germination: 15-20 days.

Approximately 24 seeds.

07/09: Planted approximately 2 seeds per cell in 12 cells.

07/21: Noted first seedlings.

–MJH