Pam Corbin
MORE RECIPES
Spiced couscous with lemon and sultanas; Roots and fruits salad with rapeseed dressing; Red pepper agrodolce; Sardines with pine nuts, fennel and orange; Red mullet with roasted red pepper mayo; Roasted chilli mole; Eccles cakes; Brandy and raisin truffles
Sweet, succulent and wholesome, raisins, sultanas and currants are simply grapes preserved by drying. And this is still done, largely, via the age-old method of leaving the fruit in the sun.
The term ‘raisin’ is sometimes used to refer to any type of dried grape, but in the UK we generally distinguish between the types. Currants, the smallest of the vine fruit bunch, have nothing to do with fresh currants, but are dried black seedless ‘Zante’ grapes and come mainly from Greece. Their charm is in their dense, chewy texture and intense, black-grape flavour, which is best appreciated in baking.
With some exceptions, such as sticky ‘Lexia’ raisins which are made from ‘Muscatel’ grapes, raisins and sultanas come from the same type of grape. These days, that’s usually the white ‘Thompson Seedless’. The difference is in how they are dried. Raisins are left in the sun for longer, which gives them their dark colour and rich, almost toffeeish flavour. Sultanas are pre-treated by being dipped in a solution of alkaline potassium carbonate. This ‘breaks’, or splits, the skins, allowing the fruit to dry more quickly, hence their juicy succulence, lighter colour and slightly fruitier flavour. Raisins and sultanas are, however, more or less interchangeable in recipes.
The moisture content of grapes needs to be reduced by around 75 per cent to ensure that the natural sugars are sufficiently high to preserve the fruit, so raisins, sultanas and currants are packed with concentrated fructose and glucose. Light to carry and with a lengthy shelf-life, it’s no wonder they have helped fuel some of the world’s most significant journeys: they traversed the Alps with Hannibal; journeyed with Christopher Columbus across the Atlantic; were rations on Peary’s North Pole expedition; and have fired up astronauts in outer space. Today, they’re still regarded as a great energy-boosting snack.
Vine fruits are available as a single variety or they can be bought ready mixed for cake-making. Look out for Fairtrade and/or organic options in health food stores and supermarkets. Very light, bright-looking fruits, such as ‘golden’ or ‘crimson’ sultanas, may have been processed with the preservative sulphur dioxide. Some vine fruits also contain potassium sorbate. To make them aesthetically pleasing and prevent them clumping together, most dried vine fruits (including organic varieties) are sprayed with vegetable oil – usually sunflower.
Vine fruits, even the more succulent kinds, often benefit from being plumped up a little before use. This is particularly true in salads and slaws, and in baking. You’ll find some cakes, such as bara brith (Welsh teabread) or boiled fruit cakes, incorporate plumping-up as part of the recipe. Otherwise, it’s never a bad idea to soak the fruit in something delicious beforehand, such as fruit juice or booze. However, you can add lusciousness by simply dunking the fruits in hot water for 5–10 minutes, then lightly tossing them in a sieve to drain them before using.
For rich fruit cakes, my favourite way of reviving dried vine fruits is to put them in an ovenproof dish with orange juice or whisky (or both), cover, then warm in a low oven at 130°C/Fan 110°C/Gas ½ for about 30 minutes. Alternatively (and this needs a bit of forethought) soak them overnight in a warm room.
Sometimes fruit sinks to the bottom in a cake batter. It shouldn’t happen if the batter is thoroughly mixed and thick enough to hold the fruit, but you can help prevent it by tossing the fruit in a little of the recipe’s flour before adding them (this also helps to distribute the fruit evenly throughout the batter). If you’re going do to this, however, it’s best not to soak the fruit first or they’ll end up coated in a gluey mess.
Ideal storecupboard standbys, vine fruits are called into service for classic Welsh cakes and rock cakes, and to perk up plain scones, flapjacks or yeasty bread dough. At Christmas, they feature in figgy pudding, stollen, Christmas cake and mincemeat.
Give baked eating apples – ‘Cox’ or ‘Russets’ – a festive twist by peeling and coring, then stuffing with sultanas and chopped marzipan. Lightly toss the whole apples in cinnamon and sugar before baking at 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4 for 35–40 minutes or until soft. Serve with brandy butter or rum and raisin ice cream.
A few raisins added to cereal or muesli makes breakfast more wholesome. Or try this warming porridge that can be mixed up the night before and quickly cooked for early risers: put 50g porridge oats, 250ml water or milk, 1 tbsp raisins or sultanas, 1 small, finely chopped apple and a big pinch of cinnamon in a saucepan. Cook over a gentle heat for 4–5 minutes until thick and creamy and the raisins are plump. This is enough for one gargantuan portion or two smaller ones.
Vine fruits play a wonderful part in savoury dishes too. Their sweetness and fragrance pair marvellously with nuts, spices and herbs to elevate simple starches – rice, couscous, semolina – into more nutritious meals. They add a lovely sweetness to a crunchy coleslaw: in a large bowl, whisk together 150ml soured cream, 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tsp toasted caraway or cumin seeds. Add 500g finely sliced green cabbage, 6 finely chopped spring onions, a couple of grated carrots and 100g raisins. Toss together, season and serve.
And, of course, grapes, grains and spices grown in the same locality have long been combined in fantastic dishes, such as spicy pilafs and fragrant tagines.
SPOTTED DICK WITH APPLE-BRANDY RAISINS
This traditional pudding is given a West Country twist with a little spelt flour and raisins soaked in cider brandy. Serves 4–6
125g raisins
4 tbsp Somerset cider brandy (or other good brandy)
A little softened butter, to grease
75g plain flour
75g wholegrain spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground mace
75g shredded suet
100g caster sugar
100ml whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1 large orange
Put the raisins into a bowl, pour on the brandy and leave in a warm place to plump up for at least 4 hours, overnight if possible (or cover and put in a very low oven for 30 minutes).
Generously grease a 1.5 litre pudding basin with butter.
In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the flours, baking powder, mace, suet and sugar; set aside.
Combine the milk, vanilla extract and orange zest. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and gradually stir in the milk mixture, followed by the raisins, stirring until everything is evenly combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared basin.
Take a double layer of foil or baking parchment and butter one side of it, then fold a large pleat into the centre. Place the foil or parchment, buttered side down, over the pudding and use kitchen string to tie it in place under the rim of the basin. Loop a length of string over the top of the basin, securing it at each side, to form a ‘handle’.
Put a trivet or upturned heatproof plate in a large saucepan and stand the basin on it. Pour in boiling water to come about halfway up the side of the basin. Put the lid on and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 1¼ hours, topping up the simmering water if needed.
Take the basin from the saucepan and leave it to stand for 10 minutes before turning out the pud. Serve with thick cream or custard.