Redcurrant Dessert Sauce

Let me share a secret.

This innocent looking redcurrant sauce packs a tangstastic punch and is one of the most useful thing I have stashed away in my freezer (in close contest with this amazing herb butter).

Unexpected visitors?

Pour over ice cream, whip up an Eton Mess or nip to the shop for a ready made cheesecake (don’t tell anyone) and serve this on the side.

I halved the sugar called for in the original recipe and found it quite sweet enough. The resulting sauce was intense; still sweet but tangy and bursting with flavour. A little does a long way.

You can store it in the fridge for a few days, or freeze in ice cube trays for use later in the year.

Ingredients

500g redcurrants (about 3 cups)

1 cup brown sugar - the original recipe states 2 cups but I found that 1 was fine giving a sauce that was nice and tart, if you prefer yours sweeter then use 2 cups.

1/3 cup port

1 unpeeled orange, washed and quartered.

Method

Place all the ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Bring to the boil over a medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.

Cool, remove orange quarters, then pass through a sieve using a wooden spoon. Cool completely. Store in a covered container in the fridge. It also freezes well.

Makes 15-20 servings as a sauce for dessert.