Damson Cheese
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Bake or boil the damsons in a stone jar in a saucepan of water or on a hot hearth.
Pour off some of the juice.
Weigh 1 pound of sugar for every 2 pounds of fruit.
Make the jam
Set the fruit over a fire and let it boil quickly until it begins to look dry.
Remove the stones and stir in the sugar.
Simmer slowly for 2 hours, then boil quickly for 30 minutes until the sides of the pan candy.
Pot
Pour the jam into potting-pans or dishes.
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 body, flavor, and natural pectin that helps the jam set.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness, draws out water to preserve, and helps the jam thicken and set.
The step that matters
Boil until the sides of the pan candy. Sugar must concentrate enough for the jam to gel on cooling. Stopping too early leaves it runny and prone to spoiling, while overcooking scorches the sugar and makes it hard and bitter.
“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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