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Dessert

To Preserve Red Gooseberries

A preserve made by boiling red gooseberries with sugar and water, then storing in jars.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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To Preserve Red Gooseberries

Ingredients

Directions

Make the syrup

  1. In a preserving pan, combine the sugar with enough water to dissolve it.

  2. Boil the mixture and skim it well.

Cook the gooseberries

  1. Add the gooseberries and let them boil briefly.

  2. Remove from heat and let sit overnight.

  3. The next day, boil the mixture until the gooseberries look clear and the syrup thickens.

Pot and store

  1. Transfer the gooseberries into pots or jars.

  2. Cover with brandy papers and store for use.

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

Rough red gooseberries
Provide the fruit and natural pectin that helps the preserve set as it cooks.
Loaf sugar
Adds sweetness and, once concentrated by boiling, helps preserve the fruit and thicken the syrup.

The step that matters

Boil the next day until the gooseberries look clear and the syrup thickens. Sugar must be concentrated enough by boiling to preserve the fruit and help it set. Stopping early leaves a runny preserve that spoils more easily, while overcooking can make it stiff and dull.

“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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