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Dessert

Dried Greengages

A preserved fruit made by simmering greengages in syrup, covered with vine leaves, boiled repeatedly, then dried.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Dried Greengages

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the greengages

  1. Leave the stalks on the greengages.

  2. Cut off the brown end of the greengages.

  3. Prick the greengages all over with a pin.

  4. Simmer the greengages in enough syrup to cover them for about 10 minutes over low heat.

  5. Cover the greengages with vine leaves.

  6. Let the covered greengages sit in the preserving pan overnight.

Syrup and drying

  1. Drain the syrup.

  2. Boil the syrup.

  3. Skim the boiled syrup.

  4. Pour the syrup back over the greengages.

  5. Repeat the boiling process for the next two days.

  6. Drain the greengages after the final boiling.

  7. Dry the greengages on brass wire trays for 20 minutes.

  8. Let the greengages cool.

  9. Pack the cooled greengages in boxes lined with paper.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Greengages
Provide the fruit that softens and concentrates in sweet syrup as it dries.
Syrup (22 degrees)
Sweetens the fruit and draws out moisture, helping preserve it through repeated boiling.

The step that matters

Repeat the boiling of the syrup over the two days. Repeated boiling and draining of the syrup gradually concentrates its sugar and draws water out of the fruit. Skimming keeps the syrup clear, and the fruit needs to be fully cooled before packing so moisture does not condense inside the boxes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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