Blackcurrant Apple Juice
Blackcurrants are the most underrated thing you can put through a juicer. They are sharp, properly sharp, and deep purple, and two sweet apples are all they need to stop being a challenge. Fresh or frozen, ten minutes later you have two cold glasses that taste like the blackcurrant squash you grew up on, only without the added sugar.
Equipment
- 1 Juicer masticating or centrifugal
- 1 High-speed blender for the blender method
- 1 Nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve to strain the blender version
- 2 Airtight glass bottles for storing
- 1 Budget cold press juicer a great value alternative
- 1 Budget blender a great value alternative
Ingredients
- 250 g blackcurrants, fresh or frozen strip any stalks first; frozen ones need no thawing and juice just as well
- 2 medium sweet apples such as Gala or Pink Lady, cored the sweeter the apple, the less sharp the glass
- 200 ml cold water for the blender method, plus a splash through the juicer at the end to push out the last drops
Instructions
Juicer method
- Wash the blackcurrants and pick off any stalks. Core the apples and cut them into quarters that fit your chute.
- Feed the apples and blackcurrants through the juicer in alternate handfuls. The wet apple pulp helps drag the sticky currants through.
- Splash the cold water through the juicer at the end to rinse out the last of the purple, then stir the juice well.
- Pour into two glasses and drink straight away. It is best within the hour, before it loses its edge.
Blender method
- Put the blackcurrants, chopped apples and cold water in a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 45 to 60 seconds until the fruit is completely broken down.
- Pour through a nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Squeeze the bag firmly to get every last drop of juice out.
- Stir, pour into two glasses and drink. The blender version keeps a little more of the fruit's fibre than the juicer version.
Notes
Blackcurrants are a July and August crop in the UK, but frozen ones are in every supermarket aisle and juice just as well straight from the bag, which is how I make this for most of the year.
If your glass still makes you wince after the two apples, half an apple more usually fixes it. If it is somehow not sharp enough for you, a squeeze of lemon will sort that out.
It keeps for about 48 hours in an airtight bottle in the fridge. Shake before you pour, because the juice settles as it sits.
Nutrition
Serving: 1glassCalories: 145kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSodium: 8mgPotassium: 500mgFiber: 2gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 120IUVitamin C: 225mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!