I’d had red currants only one time ever so when a co-worker told me that a farmer’s market had red currants, I was so excited. It turned out that she got them on the last day of their season so I had to wait another year but I was finally successful in procuring a box of red currants. I spent about five hours destemming and sorting the currants - some for eating, some for freezing, some for jam (the less pretty ones). I did find a few bugs and a little spider so you’ll want to look through them! That time I had red currants was in Norway and they were served with other fruit (like a fruit salad) with a vanilla sauce on top (red currants are quite tart so having sweeter fruit and sauce to accompany them is nice.)

What you’ll need:
Other fruit: I recommend peaches or nectarines and strawberries. Red currants (of course)
Vanilla Sauce

You may want to start with the vanilla sauce so it has time to cool depending on your schedule.

Vanilla Sauce:
1 egg
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp corn starch
1 C milk
1 tsp vanilla

Beat the egg in a small or medium pan. Add the sugar and corn starch and whisk until smooth. Gradually add in the milk. Heat on medium, whisking constantly, until it thickens slightly and reaches ~190 degrees F. Lower heat to avoid boiling and continue to cook until desired thickness. 3-5 more minutes gives a good consistency for me. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, stir in the vanilla and allow to cool in the fridge or over ice.

Destem and sort currants as desire. Wash the currants well and refrigerate. Wash and cut the fruit as needed for fruit salad. I would keep the currants separate from the other fruit so you don’t end up with a bowl of just currants at the bottom.

To serve: place some fruit into a bowl or cup, top with a scoop of currants and a spoonful of vanilla sauce.