Quick and easy crème de cassis
The cassis berry is a fruit we're all familiar with from the Burgundy region, where it's grown among the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits vineyards. It's summertime, and the berries are ready to be picked. Instead of going to Burgundy, I head to my father-in-law's garden, where the berries are thick and lush. Time to make crème de cassis. You can enjoy crème de cassis in a glass of wine or champagne, but it's also great in cooking. I’ll walk you through how to make this incredible blackcurrant liqueur yourself.
Ribes nigrum, a berry with medicinal properties
Blackcurrant, ribes nigrum in Latin, is native to Europe but is now grown throughout the world. Cassis was first cultivated in France in the 16th century for its medicinal properties. With three times more vitamin C than orange and numerous antioxidants, the blackcurrant is an important booster for immunity. But the plant's qualities go beyond that. The leaves are great for reducing inflammation, improving circulation, and stimulating digestion. The blackcurrant bud has anti-allergic properties and can help with all kinds of conditions, like hives and hay fever.
From ratafia to crème de cassis
Growing conditions for blackcurrant are optimal in Burgundy, and over time the Noir de Bourgogne variety gains a reputation for its rich flavor and deep color. Blackcurrants grow among the vineyards, and by the 18th century, they're being used to make ratafia. To do this, the berries are soaked in alcohol without adding any sugar. In 1841, Claude Joly, a distiller, and Auguste-Denis Lagoute, a café owner, joined forces to create the first crème de cassis. They took inspiration from blackcurrant ratafia but added sugar and used a more elaborate production method.
Crème de Cassis, an IGP label
In 2013, Crème de Cassis de Dijon got the IGP label, which is only given to four distillers. Just three years later, the Crème de Cassis de Bourgogne label was given to about 30 producers. The production process is basically the same for both labels. The cassis berries are macerated in cold alcohol, filtered, and then sugar is added. The liqueur has to have at least 15% alcohol. The difference between the two IGP labels is mainly in the maceration time and the ratio of fruit to sugar.
What's the best way to serve crème de cassis?
Cassis has a global reputation as a key ingredient in the classic French aperitif, kir. Simply add a tablespoon of crème de cassis to a glass of white wine, and you're done! If you're looking for a festive aperitif, pour crème de cassis into a champagne flute and top it with bubbles. You've now got yourself a kir royale. Sometimes, you'll also hear a kir referred to as a "blanc-cassis." If you mix crème de cassis with red wine, you get a Cardinal or Communard. With Marc de Bourgogne, you get a Marcassin.
People outside of France are also trying different things with crème de cassis. In the US, crème de cassis is mixed with lime, tequila, and ginger ale. You've now got an el Diablo. If you go to Japan, you’ll see crème de cassis combined with green tea.
Choosing the right white wine
The typical kir is made with a Burgundy Aligoté, a dry white wine with high acidity. The Aligoté grape is mostly used for fairly ordinary wines, except in a few villages like Bouzeron. Here, they make exceptional white wines with 100% Aligoté grapes. You can also use other white wines if you like. Just make sure you use dry wine. After all, you're adding a sweet liqueur.
A Crémant de Bourgogne is a great choice if you want to make a Kir Royale. Of course, you can also use other sparkling wines. A kir royale with Champagne is a nice touch, but you're also losing the finer notes of the Champagne.
Cooking with crème de cassis
Crème de cassis is packed with flavor and adds a lot to a recipe. Try serving vanilla ice cream or panna cotta with crème de cassis and raspberries or make a tiramisu with fresh blackcurrants and crème de cassis. You can also drizzle crème de cassis over roasted figs or pears. Add a spoonful of the liqueur to your vinaigrette for a summer salad. Make a red wine sauce even more delicious with crème de cassis and serve the sauce with duck or venison. I've found that jam of onions and cassis liqueur tastes really great with aged cheeses and game pâté.
Some tips
- Crème de cassis can be stored for a long time in a cellar or other dark, cool place.
- Crème de cassis is really tasty, but it's got a lot of sugar and alcohol in it, so it's best to drink it in moderation.
- - If you can't get your hands on blackcurrants, you can use blackberries or raspberries instead.
This is what you need to make crème de cassis
To make crème de cassis, you need a fine strainer and glass bottles that you can hermetically seal. The bottles must be very clean. It is best to sterilize them in boiling water.
The base for homemade crème de cassis is red wine. As with anything, you have to start with a quality product to get a good result. This is also the case here. Choose a good, robust red wine with an alcohol content of minus 13°.
Recipe: make your own crème de cassis
Ingredients:
- 750 g fresh blackcurrants
- 1 bottle of red wine (750 ml)
- 400 g sugar
- A few leaves from the black currant bush
- 40 ml eau de vie (optional)
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Preparation
Rinse the berries and remove any damaged berries. Crush the berries by hand or with a pestle. Pour the blackcurrants into a mixing bowl and pour over with the wine. Add half the sugar and the leaves. Mix and set aside in a cool, dark place for a week. Stir the mixture daily.
Strain the berries and wine through a sieve. Pour the wine and juice into a pot and mix in the remaining sugar. Heat up the mixture and remove the pot from the heat as soon as it starts to boil.
Let the wine/berry mixture cool. Add the eau de vie and mix. Pour the crème de cassis into the bottle and seal.
You can use the crème de cassis right away.