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Dessert

Common Cherry Cheese

A dessert made by boiling cherries, reducing to a paste, sweetening, and setting in molds.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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Common Cherry Cheese

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Stone or bruise the cherries.

  2. Boil the cherries for 20 to 30 minutes until tender.

  3. Press the fruit through a sieve to obtain the pulp, then weigh the pulp.

Make the cheese

  1. Boil the pulp quickly to a dry paste.

  2. Stir in ¾ cup sugar for every pound of fruit until dissolved.

  3. Place the pan over a brisk fire and stir continuously until the mixture is dry and does not stick to your finger.

Set and serve

  1. Press the mixture into small molds or pans.

  2. Turn out the cheese when ready to serve.

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

Cherries
Provide the fruit pulp that forms the body and flavor of the cheese.
Sugar
Adds sweetness and, as the paste concentrates, helps it hold a firm shape.

The step that matters

Stir until the mixture is dry and does not stick to your finger. Water must evaporate so the sugar and fruit pulp concentrate into a thick paste that sets firmly when cooled. Stopping too early leaves it soft and sticky, while cooking too long over a brisk fire can scorch it, so constant stirring is needed.

“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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