Blackcurrant buds ✦

Bourgeons de cassis

What it is

The buds are cut from dormant wood between December and February, when their aromatic load peaks, and Burgundy now supplies almost the whole crop — around eighty-five percent of it goes to perfumers, who extract an absolute, not to kitchens. The scent owes its blackcurrant-and-boxwood edge to sulphur compounds, which is exactly why it survives dilution down to almost nothing.

In the kitchen

Infuse ten grams of buds per litre in cold cream overnight in the fridge, then strain — heat drives off the sulphur compounds that carry the blackcurrant note and leaves a flat green taste. Two or three buds are enough to scent a glass of syrup; beyond that it turns to boxwood and leaf.

Goes with

Cream Blackcurrant Raspberry Dark chocolate Lemon Honey

Same species

Blackcurrant Blackcurrant leaf Crème de cassis de Dijon Gooseberry Redcurrant White currant

In season alongside

Fuki-no-tō (butterbur flower bud) Kiwi Myrtle Oregon black truffle Yacon

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