This is a combination of two recipes given to me by the Chilean winery Errazuriz, so it is their fruity Errazuriz Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé I always use (£8.99, The Pip Stop). If you use a different wine, make sure it has exuberant fruit and some sweetness – something you find in new world cabernet, syrah and merlot, but not in traditional, pale, dry European rosés. I can’t say anybody ever identifies the rosemary, but I like to think it adds an extra something that would be mi

Ending off this blackcurrant series with, as always, some tips and extra ideas of what to do with all the blackcurrants I know you've bought to try out these recipes - or, more ways to use up trade volumes of frozen blackcurrants bought in order to write recipes for blackcurrants not in July. Blackcurrant Jelly Less sweet and even easier to make than jam. Try it stirred into Greek yoghurt for breakfast or pudding (or both) and use it as a glaze for open fruit tarts. Makes 2 j

The second of two quick and easy weekend posts. See yesterday's post on Blackcurrant Vinegar here. Even if you think life is too short to make your own blackcurrant cordial, do try this. It’s a breeze to make and tastes of fresh blackcurrants, which is more than you can say about the taste of a more famous blackcurrant drink. Makes just over 1 litre. 1kg blackcurrants 600ml water Granulated sugar, about 500g - see recipe Put the blackcurrants in a large saucepan and crush th

This is the first of two very quick recipes for the weekend - come back tomorrow for Blackcurrant Cordial! This is good for deglazing pans when cooking duck or pigeon breasts, venison, calves’ liver or chicken livers and whenever a salad calls for a fruity dressing. Makes about 400ml 250g blackcurrants 250ml good white wine vinegar 210g caster sugar Put the currants in a bowl and crush them with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Pour over the vinegar and leave overnight. Strai

I don’t know of a more flamboyant coloured ice cream. Come to think of it I don’t know of many better flavoured ice creams. And it’s a doddle to make - no custard-base: just currants, sugar and cream. Makes about 1.25 litres 500g blackcurrants 160g caster sugar 300ml whipping cream 300ml double cream 4 tbsp crème de cassis (optional) Put the fruit and sugar in a saucepan and stir in 3 tablespoons of water. Cook over a gentle heat until the blackcurrants are soft (about 20 min

If you use a mixture of berries in a summer pudding, you have to go easy on the blackcurrants because they have a habit of overwhelming everything else, but on their own they give a brilliantly intense result. Serves 8 1kg of blackcurrants 200g caster sugar 10-12 1cm-thick slices of 1-2 day old white bread, crusts removed Put the fruit in a heavy-based pan and stir in the sugar. Bring to the boil on a moderate heat and then simmer for 2 minutes to melt the sugar and release a

This recipe series was first published in the summer of 2006 in The Sunday Times, but read on and you'll see it's perfectly relevant 10 years later... and if you want to make it out of season you'll find it's much easier now to buy frozen blackcurrants. You may not have enjoyed the cold winter and chilly, damp spring, but Britain’s blackcurrant bushes did. Currants need a proper winter to produce a good crop and this year, at last, they got one. The 2006 harvest is looking as

Rounding up my ice cream series with variations on a theme, and two sauces. This is also a good place to point out my favourite way of using up the leftover egg whites - not meringues but rather my Dark Chocolate Orange Mousse. Variations Omit the bay leaves from my bay leaf ice cream and flavour the basic mix with one of the following: • a pinch of saffron threads, which you have dry fried for 30 seconds. • with 4 lg egg yolks: 6 heads of lavender, or 4 heads of lavender an

You can make this with lemon instead, but lime, with its spicy note, is sensational. It’s very intense in flavour, so will overpower a milder ice cream and fight with some others, such as coffee. I like it plain, just with some shortbread and each serving decorated with a mint leaf. As with the mango, it’s a recipe - slightly adjusted - from Stephanie Alexander’s book. You will need an electric mixer of some sort. Serves 6 500g whipping cream 80ml fresh lime juice (about 3 li

Here is proof that you don’t have to have eggs and custard to make quick, easy, exotic-tasting ice cream. If it’s not eaten within 12 hours, it starts to become icy, but I doubt you’ll have a chance to put that to the test. You can use the basic recipe, excluding the lime, for soft fruits such as strawberries and raspberries: use 450-500g of berries; sieve after puréeing them and taste for sweetness. The mango idea is from Stephanie Alexander’s The Cook’s Companion, a 1100-pa

This dark, spicy, autumnal dish can be made two or three days in advance and kept in the fridge. Serve it cold, tepid or warm, with mascarpone, Greek yoghurt, ice cream/crème fraiche and/or real custard. Or let them eat cake - preferably almond and orange or panettone. You can adjust the fruit and flavourings as you like. I use apricots, figs and prunes in equal quantities, but there’s nothing to stop you slipping in mango or peaches, using a couple of star anise or a piece o