Desserts

Currants Roll, A Caribbean Classic.

Chris De La Rosa
Chris De La Rosa
Storyteller · Award-Winning Author · TV Personality & Caribbean Culinary Curator.
5 comments
Currants Roll, A Caribbean Classic.

Without ANY DOUBT.. this is one of my favorite Caribbean desserts! If you recall back in 2013 I shared an (if not the first) online version of this Currants Roll Recipe. However this time I’ll show you an even easier method of making it. Without sacrificing taste, texture and overall flavor.

You’ll Need…

1 puff pastry sheet
1 1/2 cups currants
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk (optional)
3-4 tablespoon butter (melted)

This is a simplified version of that classic recipe I shared, so head over to your grocery store and grab a package of “puff pastry” from the freezer section. Allow it to thaw in the fridge, until it’s soft enough to handle, but still chilled.

On a well flour dusted surface, roll out the puff pastry until it’s about 5-7 millimeters thick and a rectangle shape. (watch the images below).

Tip! For best pastry results, use the puff pastry chilled and try to have your surface well flour-dusted and as cool as you can have it.

Now it’s time to brush on 1/2 the melted butter on the surface of the pastry dough.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Then sprinkle on (evenly) the currants onto the surface of the dough, followed by the sugar/cinnamon mixture.

It’s now time to roll everything as tight as you can into a dough filled log.

Since I wanted these bite-sized, I rolled the longer side. Then cut them into two pieces. Place them onto a parchment lined baking tray (I didn’t and I had a mess to clean up after). Then brush on the egg/milk wash (basically you whisk the egg together with the milk) over the surface of each.

Then using a fork, poke some holes onto the surface of each log. Make sure the seam side is on the bottom, to help keep it closed/sealed as it bakes in the oven

Onto the middle rack of a preheated 375 oven for 25 minutes. Then remove them and slap (brush) on the remaining butter we have and place back into the oven for about 5 minutes.

After which, you’ll place them on a cooling rack to cool down a bit before using a serrated knife to cut them into the serving size pieces you want. I went on a an angle when slicing for that classic currants roll look. With the serrated knife you’ll have to use a sort of gentle sawing action to cut through them without destroying the pastry.

If you wanted you could have sprinkled on some granulated sugar on the surface before you placed them into the oven.

As classic a Caribbean dessert as you can get without all the fuss, by using the puff pastry we got from the grocery store.

Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Similar Recipes

  • |

    Haitian Influenced Epis Chicken.

    After making a fresh batch of Epis (zepis) I decided to put it to use on some boneless chicken breast I had thawing in the sink for dinner. If you’ve ever struggled with dry and bland chicken breast (say chicken chest in the Caribbean) you’ll definitely want to give this recipe a try. Moist, tender and packed with flavors of that Haitian Epis. I’m not sure if there’s an actual Epis Chicken recipe in Haiti, but I was thoroughly impressed with this one.

  • |

    Panko Crusted Fried Plantains.

    With a variety of banana and plantain trees in our kitchen garden at the back of our home, we grew up with a natural affection for boiled and/or fried plantains. Sunday lunch was all about the sides of boiled plantains to give the entire meal a sort of rounded appeal, with the natural sweetness of the plantain. It’s funny how I still crave plantains from time to time (would explain why I’m always experimenting with different recipes), but I’ve not had a ripe banana in about 20 years.

  • | | |

    Baigan Choka (eggplant dip) Recipe In The Oven.

    The key to making traditional baigan (eggplant) choka (dip) is roasting the eggplant over an open flame and if you really want to excite the taste buds with even more flavor, you would place the eggplant on hot coals. On so many levels this is not always possible, especially if you live in temperate climates where having that fire in the middle of winter is not possible. Yes, you can always use the flame on your stove top, but if you’ve ever had to clean up that stove after – you’d never do it again. This baigan choka recipe is specifically for people who want the same sort of flavors, but with an easier method of achieving this. Students, you can even do this is a toaster oven.

  • | |

    Quick And Simple Salmon Fried Rice.

    Here’s a quick and tasty recipe putting leftover rice (which you may already have in the fridge) and a can of salmon to work, for what I assure you is an incredible one-pot dish. While the use of the can (or ‘tin’ as we would normally say in the Caribbean) may seem a little strange if you’ve never tried it… I quickly learned that it truly is a great addition to what could potentially be a boring fried rice. This is one of the many go-to recipes I employ when lunch-time hits and I have some rice in the fridge.

5 Comments

  1. Great recipe! My wife is addicted to currants roll, and now I make it for her as much as she wants! Thank you!

  2. I tried the currants roll; after 50 mins it was not fully cooked. I left it in for perhaps another 30 mins. Overcooked it. Taste and flakiness was spot on but too dry. What did i do wrong

  3. Fantastic idea. Way less fat, which we older folks don’t need. I will surely try it. By the way Chris, I tried getting 2 of your cook books with no avail.

  4. Hello Chris! Hello Everyone!

    Has anyone ever made this recipe using cranberries instead or currants?

    I was wondering since someone brought me a big bag of dried cranberries and I don’t know what to do with it.

    Please let me know.

    Thank you

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *