Chuckleberries
The Chuckleberry is not a commonly known fruit and for that reason, often results in people not knowing much about it or how to even use it. We understand this struggle so we are here to help you learn about this incredible fruit, and hopefully inspire you to use it in your cooking or baking.
First things first - what is a Chuckleberry?
A chuckleberry is a hybrid between a redcurrant, gooseberry and jostaberry (a jostaberry already being a hybrid of a gooseberry and blackcurrant). This large mix of different flavour profiles has resulted in a dark red/purple fruit around the size of a blackcurrant, with a complex, yet delicious taste. It provides vibrancy and sharpness to cooking, whilst simultaneously being sweet - making it an incredibly exciting ingredient to use.
How to use it?
Jam is an obvious, but still delicious, option, with some of our customers stating they made the “best jam I have ever made” with our Chuckleberries. But, if you wanted to explore the capabilities of this fruit a bit more we’ve put together a few recipes that allow Chuckleberries to shine.
Chuckleberry Fool
Serves 6
An incredibly easy 'cheat dessert' is a long-standing favourite of ours and can even double up as an ice cream!
For this recipe you will need:
- 350g British Chuckleberries defrosted
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
- 300ml Double Cream
- 175g Caster Sugar
Method
- Add the Chuckleberries and 3 teaspoons of water into a pan, and cook over a low heat until soft.
- Remove from heat and add the sugar, mix until dissolved.
- Leave to cool, then blend the mix. Sieve this to make a puree.
- Add the lemon juice and stir well.
- Whip the double cream using a hand whisk; it should have a stiff texture.
- Slowly fold the puree into the cream using a metal spoon.
- Serve into individual serving glasses and leave to set in the fridge.
Tip: You can freeze this to make a yummy ice cream. Just transer your Chuckleberry Fool into a freezer-proof container and leave to set.
Chuckleberry Gin
This gin is perfect for gifting, either for Christmas or as a little something to send to those you can’t spend the New Year with this year. Berries can take a minimum of 3-4 weeks to infuse, but can be left for up to 3 months before straining.
For this recipe you will need:
- 300g Frozen Chuckleberries
- 150g Caster Sugar
- 75cl Gin
- Sealable container or bottle
Method:
- Add the Chuckleberries to your sealable container or bottle, then pour over the sugar and gin.
- Shake well.
- Store in a cool, dark place for a minimum of 3-4 weeks, but up to 3 months.
- Strain into a fresh bottle using a sieve lined with a muslin cloth.
- Enjoy on ice or with your favourite tonic.