How to make delicious gooseberry jam?
Gooseberry jam is so delicious that it is called "royal"
Gooseberry is a berry that not everyone can appreciate. Someone does not like her for her relatively modest appearance. Someone considers its taste uninteresting or too specific. However, it is worth trying to cook gooseberry jam in order to reconsider your view of the fruits of thorny bush.
Not everyone knows that the gooseberry is also called the royal berry. Yes, yes, even Catherine the Great was delighted, having tasted the jam from it. Gooseberry jam has received a well-deserved name - royal. For this dish, the skilful cook received a personal gift from the empress - a precious ring.
It is curious that an unsightly-looking berry can be transformed if you approach the preparation of jam with skill. By the way, today many of the recipes that are used in the kitchen of the hostess have been inherited by us. If you follow them, adhering to several useful recommendations, you can cook a delicacy worthy of being called royal.
One of the important points is the correct selection of berries. For jam, those fruits that did not have time to ripen to the end are suitable. It is the green and tough gooseberry that is suitable for making treats. But overripe should be put on wine.
Whichever jam recipe you have to choose, each berry must be processed to prepare the dish. Namely, they are first washed thoroughly, after which the stalks and seeds are removed.
There is a trick in performing a seemingly difficult task. Experienced housewives recommend using a sharp knife, cutting the fruit from the side. After that, it remains to take out the core with seeds and remove the stalk. There are those who have gotten the hang of doing it with a hairpin.
The berries must be washed thoroughly, the stalks and seeds must be removed
A century-old gooseberry jam recipe
So, having prepared the fruits for processing, it's time to choose a jam recipe. We propose to prepare a royal delicacy that delighted the Russian empress. For him we need:
- 5 cups gooseberries;
- 7 glasses of sugar;
- 60 cherry leaves;
- 3 glasses of water.
When the gooseberries are cleaned and washed, you can make a preparation for syrup. To do this, put 50 cherry leaves in water, bring it to a boil. Now the resulting broth must be poured over the berries. We leave them in this form for at least a few hours. The classic recipe involves steeping overnight in a cold place.
After the allotted time, you need to drain almost all the broth, leaving two glasses for the syrup. The rest of the liquid and boiled cherry leaves are no longer useful. From the infusion, it remains to cook the syrup, adding sugar to it. When the mass boils, put the gooseberries in it.
Bringing the jam to a boil, boil it for a quarter of an hour. After 10 minutes of cooking, add 10 cherry tree leaves to it. An old recipe assumes that immediately after turning off the stove, the mass is cooled down as quickly as possible. In this case, she will retain an amazing emerald green color.
Orange will give zest to the "royal jam"
The secret of the delicacy of the family of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin
The gooseberry can be considered not only a royal berry: the great classic of Russian literature, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, was grown on jam from its fruits. The recipe for this delicious dish has been preserved to this day, which is worthy to decorate any table. To prepare it, you need to peel and wash the fruits of the shrub in the ratio of one kilogram to 2 kg of sugar and a glass of water.
Peeled from seeds and stalks, gooseberry berries must be folded into a container, shifting with cherry and sorrel leaves. After that, they are poured with vodka, closed tightly and placed in a warm place. In the old days it was an oven, but now you can use an oven.
The next day, the gooseberries are taken out by pouring cold water with pieces of ice into the container, then it is stirred and the procedure is repeated three times. Then the gooseberries are folded into the liquid and the fruits are kept in it for 4 hours.
The next step is to remove the berries and let them dry. It remains to cook the syrup from sugar and a glass of water, removing the foam from it. When it boils, prepared fruits are laid in it.
The mass must be brought to a boil and boiled a little. After that, it is rolled into sterilized jars. As you can see, the cooking process is long and laborious. But in winter, a jar of the most beautiful delicacy will cheer you up in any bad weather.
Diet gooseberry jam
In cooking, there is also a dietary recipe for making a healthy treat. It needs a minimum of ingredients. Moreover, it is relatively simple and does not require a lot of time and effort. So, we need to prepare a kilogram of very ripe gooseberries and 200 g of sugar.
First, put the berries in a saucepan, where we also add a glass of water. Boil the gooseberries until soft, and then rub through a sieve. Seeds and skins should not get into the jam.
In winter, gooseberry jam will replenish the lack of vitamins in the body.
It remains to combine the resulting puree and sugar. Now we put the mass on the fire and bring it to a boil. Stir the jam constantly, otherwise it will burn. We need to boil the gooseberries for a quarter of an hour. After that, it can be laid out in sterilized jars and closed.
The benefits of jam from the berries of a humble bush
It would be unfair not to mention the benefits of this delicacy. Each gooseberry jam recipe requires a lot of effort and patience, but the result is worth it. This shrub is not only extremely fertile, but also produces a crop that can improve health.
For example, gooseberries are extremely beneficial for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, it promotes healing, regardless of whether it is taken fresh or cooked. Also, gooseberry fruits normalize the state of the cardiovascular system, helping to overcome anemia. They are shown to be eaten for obesity and kidney disease.
During the period of lack of vitamins, gooseberry and jam from it will be the prevention of colds.
Since it contains various substances that are useful and necessary for the body, which help to strengthen the immune system. Including vitamins A and B, biotin and ascorbic acid were found in the fruits.