To Prepare Barberries for Tartlets
Ingredients
Directions
Soften the barberries
Place the barberries in a stone jar.
Set the jar on a hot hearth or in a saucepan of water.
Simmer slowly until the barberries are soft.
Make the preserve
Transfer the barberries and sugar to a preserving pan.
Boil gently for 15 minutes.
Use only silver utensils.
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
- Barberries
- Provide the main tart flavour and the fruit that softens into the preserve.
- Lump sugar
- Sweetens the fruit and, once boiled, thickens the syrup and helps the preserve keep.
The step that matters
Simmer slowly until the barberries are soft. Gentle heat softens the fruit evenly without scorching it. Sugar slows softening and can toughen skins, so the barberries should be soft before the sugar goes in.
“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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