Damsons, Baked
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Gather damsons in dry weather, discarding any blemished ones.
Stone the damsons and weigh them.
Make the jam
In a preserving pan, combine the damsons and sugar.
Stir gently until the sugar dissolves, removing scum as it rises.
Boil the mixture for about 1 hour, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
When the jam looks firm and the juice sets, remove it from the heat.
Pot and store
Pour the jam into pots.
Cover with oiled paper and egg-washed tissue when cool.
Store in a dry place.
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, acidity and pectin that give the jam its flavour and set.
- Loaf sugar
- Sweetens the jam and, with boiling, helps it thicken and keep well.
The step that matters
Boiling the jam while stirring constantly. Sugar-rich mixtures scorch easily on the bottom of the pan, and burnt sugar gives a bitter taste. Constant stirring spreads heat evenly while the jam reaches the setting point.
“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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