Every day during the summer, at 6:56 am and 8:43 am, Marion Sauveur gives you an idea of ​​a recipe to brighten up your taste buds.

Blackcurrant is a pretty black berry, full of pep in the mouth and a cousin of redcurrant. It is a fruit full of vitamins C: four times richer in vitamin C than an orange for example. It is also a plant that is native to the cold temperate zones of Europe. Originally, its leaves were mainly used in infusion for their medicinal properties. But if we cut the leaves of the blackcurrant, there are no more fruits so we did not taste its berries before the Renaissance really! It is tasted as a table fruit in the 16th century, it is then called "pepper". It was still necessary to wait until the end of the 18th century for its culture to spread.

Burgundy is today the stronghold of blackcurrant in France.

This is where the crème de cassis, a liqueur made from the berries, is made.

But also "Burgundy pepper", a new spice made with dried buds and which combines the aromatic power and the tangy sweetness of blackcurrant.

Blackcurrant is a small, fragile fruit that is eaten fresh.

It should be chosen very dark, not wrinkled and above all to consume it very quickly, even if it will keep for two to three days in the refrigerator.

But to enjoy all its flavors, it is better to take it out 30 minutes before tasting it at room temperature.

How do you suggest we taste blackcurrant? 

As a smoothie.

With this summer heat, a gourmet and fruity drink, it always feels good.

Mix the blackcurrant with sugar, yogurt and a little milk.

Yogurt and milk will soften the tangy side of the fruit.

Add a few ice cubes and mix again until you get a smooth texture.

Finally, add a few blackcurrant berries and it's ready!

You can also freeze blackcurrant berries and mix them with pears for a milder smoothie without dairy products.

And there, no need for ice cubes, since your fruit comes out of the freezer.

Recipe

Ingredients :

  • 200g blackcurrant

  • 50g of sugar

  • 1 yogurt

  • 10 cl of milk

Preperation :

1.

 Mix all the ingredients in a blender.

2.

 Add a few ice cubes and serve chilled, when the texture is smooth.

3.

 Do not hesitate to add some fresh berries for the indulgence. 

Like every morning, you also ask a chef for a tip ...

Today, it is the pastry chef of the Royal Monceau in Paris, Quentin Lechat.

To prepare the blackcurrant, he suggests "recovering fresh blackcurrant and rinsing them lightly with water".

"We roll them up on a tea towel and place them in a freezer. Fresh blackcurrant has a flavor that can be pungent and once you run it through that negative cold for about one night, you're going to get a fruit that will drain a little of its water and which will especially lose this disturbing flavor. "

"And it's a fruit that will shine and be even darker than fresh blackcurrant," he adds.

Quentin Lechat offers a click & collect pastry every month at the Royal Monceau in Paris.

This month, it's a blackcurrant tart with a bamboo charcoal-tinted tart base, vanilla diplomat cream, blackcurrant confit, blackcurrant and some coriander flowers.

In August, raspberries will be in the spotlight.

Do you have a second address to advise us to taste blackcurrant? 

Yes, this time as an accompaniment to a savory dish.

This is Nolwenn Corre at L'Hostellerie de La Pointe Saint-Mathieu in Plougonvelin, Brittany.

A cucumber-blackcurrant granita accompanies the mackerel.

It is a very beautiful plate, very tasty and very fresh.