Damson Cheese
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Remove the stalks from the damsons and place them in a preserving pan.
Simmer over low heat until soft, stirring occasionally.
Pass the mixture through a coarse sieve to extract the pulp and juice.
Make the cheese
Return the pulp and juice to the preserving pan and add the measured sugar.
Stir well and simmer slowly for 2 hours.
Skim off any foam, then boil quickly for 30 minutes or until it thickens.
Pour into shallow pots while hot.
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
- Damsons
- Provide the fruit pulp, acidity and pectin that give the cheese its body and tart flavour.
- Loaf sugar
- Sweetens the fruit and, with long cooking, helps the pulp set into a firm, sliceable cheese.
The step that matters
Long slow simmer and final boil. Sugar and fruit pectin only set when enough water has evaporated and the mixture reaches a high enough concentration. Stopping early leaves a runny cheese, while overcooking can scorch the sugar and darken the flavour.
“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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