Macanons "Chocolate-Blackcurrant"

General principles for preparing berry confit

French chefs originally meant confit by slowly simmering and preserving meat or fish at a low temperature in a rich, fatty broth, which, due to the length of cooking, was used only for gourmet and very expensive dishes.

Cake with berry confit

Therefore, according to one version, the origin of the term is assumed to be from an abbreviated word, translated meaning “marinate” or “stabilize.” Another version of the ancient origin of the French confectionery phenomenon is called an abbreviation for “candy” or “jammy,” but today this concept has become so firmly established in the culinary life of the whole world that it does not need clarification.

Starch

To thicken the filling and prevent juice from leaking out, you can use starch, and corn starch is recommended for sweet recipes.

In this case, 500 grams of berries will require approximately 2 tablespoons of starch. We mix it with sugar and roll the berries in this mixture.

You can use the filling right away, or you can do it differently: put the mixture on low heat and wait for the juice to stand out, then increase the heat, bring it to a boil and cook for several minutes, stirring. The starch should completely dissolve and thicken the berry mass.

Before using this filling, you must wait until it cools down.

Currant confiture by the glass

• Fresh berries – 6 cups.
• Granulated sugar - 7 glasses.
• Water – 1 glass.

Boil syrup from four glasses of sugar and one glass of water. Pour prepared currants into it.

Boil the berry mass and simmer over low heat for a quarter of an hour. Then add the rest of the sugar and mix well. Place the confiture into pre-prepared jars and roll up.

This is a very easy quick recipe. A characteristic feature of this product is that after adding sugar at the end of cooking, it becomes jelly-like.

Step-by-step recipe with photos

Confit comes from the French word confit, and was originally a method of cooking, namely the long and slow simmering of meat or poultry in fat. Have you heard of duck confit? This is it! This beautiful word is also used by confectioners when they prepare various preparations from berry and fruit mixtures for cakes and mousse desserts. By the way, the familiar confiture has the same origin.

In addition to berries and fruits, gelatin and sugar are used to prepare confit, and in some cases corn starch is also added to make the texture of the confit softer than just jelly.

It is best to use instant gelatin; it does not require long soaking; it is enough to dilute it with warm water in a ratio of 1:6, heat it, stirring, to a temperature of 60 degrees so that the gelatin is completely dissolved, and then combine it with the berry or fruit mass.

So, let's prepare all the necessary ingredients to prepare strawberry confit for the cake.

You can safely use frozen strawberries, the main thing is to let them defrost before cooking. Once defrosted, add sugar and cornstarch to the bowl with the strawberries.

Stir with a spoon and then puree the mixture with a blender until smooth.

Place on the fire, bring almost to a boil, simmer for 2 minutes and set aside.

Dissolve 6g instant gelatin in 36g water heated to 60 degrees. Gelatin should completely dissolve.

Add dissolved gelatin to the strawberry mixture.

You can beat it again with a blender so that the gelatin is distributed evenly throughout the entire mass.

I used the same form for hardening the confit as for baking the cakes, since I was going to use the confit for the cake. Cover the bottom of the pan with cling film and place on a flat plate.

Pour in more liquid for the confit; the thickness of the layer can be checked with a toothpick. Place everything in the refrigerator to harden.

If you are not going to use strawberry confit right away, but are making it for the future, then put the mold in the freezer, after hardening, wrap it in film and store it in the freezer until ready to use. I used it right away, so my strawberry confit just froze in the refrigerator. This is how my strawberry confit for the cake turned out.

Typically the confit layer is placed between two layers of cream or mousse in the cake. With this strawberry confit I made this small cake for a homemade tea party.

Homemade blackcurrant confiture for the winter in 10 minutes

The confiture according to this recipe turns out to be very healthy; all the vitamins remain in it, because it is not subjected to long-term heat treatment.
We just need to bring it to a boil and add a thickener. In just a minute, the jam is ready to be rolled into jars. Look how simple and elementary it is to prepare. This is one of my favorite recipes and a favorite so far. The blackcurrant aroma and bright taste last well all winter. We also do not introduce any additional spices or herbs. The incredible smell of the berry itself is quite strong and you don’t want to interrupt it with anything.

Let's take:

• 500 g black currants,
• 250 g sugar,
• 80 ml water,
• 1 tbsp. starch.

You can use any starch. The recipe uses potato. If you use corn, then you need to take 1.5-2 tbsp. for this volume of berries.

Step 1. Before starting canning, prepare the ingredients. To do this, we sort out the blackcurrant fruits, remove all the leaves and twigs. We weigh the berries and rinse them under running water.

Step 2. Place them in a saucepan with a thick bottom. Add 50-80 ml of water so that the fruits do not burn. And immediately add sugar.

Step 3. Place the pan on medium heat and bring the currants to a boil, stirring constantly. We achieve complete dissolution of sugar.

When heated, the berries burst, releasing pulp and juice, resulting in a liquid mass.

Step 4. In 2 tbsp. Dissolve a tablespoon of starch in water. Pour it into the boiling mass. It is important that it boils.

While stirring the confiture, cook it for exactly 1 minute until the starch is completely dissolved. This time is quite enough. The starch will quickly begin to “work” and the juice will begin to thicken.

Therefore, without delay, pour the jam into sterile jars to the very top. We try not to leave an air gap between the berry mass and the lid.

Turn the jars over and put them on the lids. This is how we check the tightness of the seal. The syrup should not leak out. Then cover the preservation with a blanket and leave for a day until it cools completely.

The confiture can be stored at room temperature and in the cellar for up to 1 year. But from experience, such jam does not last a year; it is eaten at the very beginning of winter with pancakes and pancakes. And sometimes just as a snack for tea. Therefore, I highly recommend this recipe!

Assembly:

Assembling the cake starts from top to bottom.

Step 1. First pour in about 1/2 of the mousse.

Step 2. Then we “press” the peach compote and currant confit.

Step 3. Pour out the remaining mousse, and also “press” the sponge cake, level the surface of the cake and put it in the freezer until the mousse hardens completely. Approximate time 9-12 hours.

Recipe with agar-agar

Berry confit for a cake is not difficult to make yourself in your home kitchen using special thickening ingredients.

Ingredients

To prepare a very simple strawberry confit you will need ingredients in the following proportions:

Step-by-step cooking process

First you need to defrost or rinse fresh berries, then place them on a sieve to drain excess moisture. When the berries thaw, the juice should be saved and used to prepare dessert.

1. Prepared strawberries must be pureed with a blender or masher. To obtain a uniform consistency and remove seeds, you can rub the berries through a fine metal or special strainer with a large wooden spoon or pestle.

2. Now you need to combine the mass with granulated sugar and agar-agar powder diluted in juice, mix and put on low heat, cook, stirring constantly, for 5-7 minutes. after boiling. Cooking time can be increased based on the manufacturer's instructions on the agar-agar package.
3. Then you should pour the resulting mass into a prepared mold of the required diameter and wait until it hardens at room temperature. You can also put the already cooled mixture in the refrigerator and wait until the finished confit begins to separate from the walls.
4. Next, you can place a nice thick layer of berries on the cake layer and continue decorating.

From jam

If you need a small amount of confit to layer a homemade cake, but there are no berries on hand, you can use a jar of your favorite aromatic jam and any food thickener for this purpose.

Ingredients

For 100 g of finished jam, take 3 g of instant or leaf gelatin, soaked in cold water. For additional taste, you can add lemon juice and any spices to the sweet jam: ground cloves, cinnamon, orange zest or cardamom seeds; grated fresh ginger will add a spicy taste and a slight pungency. It will also be interesting to feel interspersed with various nuts, pieces of fruit or banana.

Step-by-step cooking process

• The jam can be quickly heated in the microwave until liquid, add spices and seasonings, stir thoroughly, puree or rub through a sieve if necessary, then combine with the prepared gelatin and beat the mass again with a submersible blender.
• You can add a small piece of butter, weighing about 10-15 g, to the warm berry mass, which will give the finished dessert a soft, creamy taste and a richer, velvety texture.
• A mixture of fruit jelly and melted confectionery chocolate is also sometimes used.
• The prepared mixture should be placed in a mold or a cooking ring lined with film, cooled and stored in the cold or in the freezer.
• The finished frozen mass can be immediately used for its intended purpose or cut into pieces of the required size. It is suitable not only for decorating confectionery products. It can be served as a delicious addition to pancakes, pancakes or ice cream.
• You can use any berries for confit; both fresh and frozen will do. You can combine different types with each other and with fruits. Fresh fruits need to be washed well, sorted thoroughly, removing spoiled specimens, and removing the stems and seeds.
• For a uniform consistency of the transparent berry layer, it is necessary to rub the berries through a fine sieve to remove all small seeds from the pulp.
• Sometimes it makes sense to puree some of the raw materials using a blender or food processor, and then add large pieces of slightly mashed berries or fruits to a homogeneous consistency, which can add a piquant sourness to the taste of the finished dessert. Also, slices of berries in jelly can serve as an additional decoration.
• Soft raspberries do not need to be punched with a blender; they will easily disperse during the heating process. If you need to remove the seeds, you can rub the not yet completely thawed berries through a sieve.

• When preparing confit, it is necessary to correctly learn to recognize the taste at different stages. The hot berry mass immediately after boiling seems richer and sweeter. In its finished form, after hardening, the intensity of the taste and sweetness of the product decreases, so you can use citric acid or natural citrus juice, chopped zest, mint leaves as an enhancer, and also add bright aromatic spices.
• The final taste and appearance of the gelled layer of the dessert largely depends on the thickener used and its quality, so you should not skimp on this component, purchasing only first-class, proven products, and then follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for use.
• The advantage of agar-agar jelly is that it does not melt when it comes into contact with warm cakes or hot chocolate icing. Plus, it doesn't need to be frozen first.
• When working with gelatin, you should carefully monitor the temperature regime, since when it exceeds 60 degrees, it begins to lose its gelling properties. A frozen layer prepared with gelatin must be placed only on a completely cooled confectionery product.
• When introducing pectin into the berry mass, it is always pre-mixed with granulated sugar, otherwise lumps may form, and the thickener may not start working.
• To prepare a beautiful, even decorative layer of berries or fruits, it is important to choose the right form for hardening the mass in order to obtain a sufficient thickness of the product.
• A one-piece culinary ring with a slightly smaller diameter than the main sponge cake layers is ideal; then, to secure the confit on the cake, it will be possible to make a retaining edge of cream, which will prevent the jelly from slipping.
• To obtain a thin film, you can pour the berry mass onto a baking sheet, and then cut out decorative elements from the frozen mass.
• You can prepare the berry confit in advance and then freeze it, wrapped in cling film. If necessary, the frozen mass can be quickly removed and, freed from the film, used to assemble the cake.
• To make it easier to remove and transfer the frozen berry layer, many confectioners recommend covering the bottom and sides of the mold with thin cling film.
• You can pour the sweet mass into suitable silicone molds or candy boxes. Berry confit for homemade cake or pastries will not only be a vitamin supplement or a layer of flavor for the confectionery product, but also an effective element for decoration.

Recipe ingredients:

Cupcakes

• 1 and 1/8 tbsp. sifted flour for cakes
• 1.5 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1.5 tbsp. egg whites (from about 12 eggs), preferably at room temperature
• 1 and 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• 0.5 tsp. salt
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Special equipment
  : piping bag with large plain tip, 1 large or 2 small muffin tins (do not grease)

Confit

• 2 large lemons
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar

Glaze

• 1/4 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1.5 tbsp. powdered sugar

How to prepare blackcurrants?

The key to successful confiture is the correct choice of berries for preparation. Currants should be:

• mature;
• fresh;
• no damage or rot.

Currants should be collected for harvesting in dry weather, ideally immediately before processing. If this option is not possible, then you should go through it very carefully and remove not only debris, but also overripe berries. When processed, they lose their benefits and spoil the appearance of the future dessert.

Fruits collected on your own plot do not need to be washed if no chemicals were used during cultivation. Purchased currants are washed under running water and dried thoroughly using a paper towel.

Correct storage conditions

The conditions and shelf life of confiture depend on the container in which it is placed. If sterilized jars are used, then it is perfectly stored:

• in the cellar;
• pantry;
• another suitable cool and dark place.

The shelf life in this case is 12 months. When using unsterilized glass containers, it is recommended to keep the dessert in the refrigerator. It is advisable to use it within 2 years after production.

Jam recipes are simple and do not require much time or money. This dessert is good both on its own and as an addition to other dishes. Thanks to its attractive appearance, it will not only diversify the usual menu, but also decorate the table.