Greengages, Preserved in Syrup
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare and cook
Boil the sugar and water together for about 10 minutes.
Remove the stones from the greengages.
Add the fruit to the syrup.
Simmer gently until nearly tender, then remove from heat.
Skim the syrup well on both boiling days for clarity.
Rest and reboil
Transfer the fruit to a large pan.
Let it sit overnight.
The next day, boil the mixture again for about 10 minutes with the blanched kernels.
Jar and seal
Carefully place the fruit into jars.
Pour the syrup over it.
Once cooled, cover the jars tightly to exclude air.
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
- Greengages
- Softens into tender fruit while holding its shape in the syrup, providing the main flavour.
- Loaf sugar
- Sweetens the fruit and, as a dense syrup, helps preserve it.
- Kernels from the greengage stones
- Blanched kernels add a subtle almond-like aroma to the syrup during the second boil.
The step that matters
Simmer gently until nearly tender. A gentle simmer softens the fruit evenly while keeping its skin intact. Vigorous boiling can split the flesh and cloud the syrup, so the fruit loses its shape.
“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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