Currant events (red currants, scones, and jam)

Friday was one of those happy days where I got off early from work and came home with a tupperware container full of red currants from the bush of my generous coworker. The first few were eaten plain, then on crackers spread with goat cheese.

Today, when morning came, the air was cool enough outside that I decided to turn on the oven and bake one of the three cups of currants I received into scones. These cream scones (minus the dried fruit) from Smitten Kitchen formed the base, and I folded in the scant cup of washed and destemmed currants halfway through the final mix. My husband and I (emphasis on "I") have put away all but one through the course of the day, and I've decided to be selfless and offer him a chance at it.

When I was washing and picking the currants while the oven preheated, I decided to set aside the first two cups I picked either for currant syrup or currant jam, both out of Tart and Sweet. Jam won the household vote.

One minute the berries looked like this, and within another minute of being on the stove, they were swimming in their own ruby-colored juice. The full 25 minutes of boiling steadily darkened the ruby color, and here below is the gorgeous end result:

(As you can see, two cups of currants don't make much jam.)