Stewed Fruit
Ingredients
Directions
Stew the fruit until tender.
Add enough bicarbonate of soda to neutralize acidity; use a small amount, about the size of a shilling.
Taste the fruit to ensure the bitterness is gone and the natural sweetness is apparent.
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
- Fruit
- Softens as it stews and provides the main flavour and natural sweetness of the dish.
- Bicarbonate of soda
- Raises the pH to neutralize acidity, which reduces sharpness and bitterness in the fruit.
The step that matters
Adding the bicarbonate of soda. Bicarbonate is alkaline, so a small amount neutralizes acid and softens bitterness. Too much leaves a soapy, chemical taste that cannot be undone, so add it sparingly and taste as you go.
“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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.