Dried Greengages
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Leave the stalks on the greengages and cut off the brown end.
Prick the greengages all over with a pin.
Syrup and soak
Simmer the greengages in syrup on a low heat for about 10 minutes.
Cover with vine leaves and let sit in the preserving pan overnight.
The next day, draw off the syrup, boil and skim it, then pour it back over the greengages.
Repeat the boiling process for the next two days.
Dry and pack
Drain and dry the greengages, then coat them in sugar.
Place on brass wire trays to dry for 20 minutes, then pack in boxes with paper.
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
- The main fruit, which softens during simmering and dries into a chewy, concentrated preserve.
- Syrup
- Sweetens the fruit and draws moisture out of it during repeated boiling.
- Sugar (in the method)
- Coats the dried fruit, adding sweetness and a dry, sugary surface.
The step that matters
Repeated boiling of the syrup. Boiling and skimming the syrup over several days gradually concentrates it and draws water from the fruit. Doing this too quickly or too little can leave the greengages soft or fermenting rather than preserved.
“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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