Damson Cheese
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Combine damsons and water in a preserving pan and stir gently until boiling.
Simmer until the damsons are tender, then rub through a coarse wire sieve.
Make the cheese
Add 1 lb of sugar for each lb of fruit and place over gentle heat.
Stir until boiling.
Cook for about 1 hour and then pour into small jars.
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 that forms the body, flavour and tartness of the cheese.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the pulp and, as it concentrates, helps the cheese thicken and keep well.
The step that matters
Cooking after the sugar is added. Sugar thickens as water evaporates and can scorch on the base of the pan if heat is too high or stirring stops. Stirring until boiling and keeping the heat gentle helps the cheese set evenly without burning.
“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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