Barberry Drops
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the pulp
Cut off the black tops of the barberries.
Roast the fruit over a fire until soft enough to pulp.
Sieve the pulp into a china or earthenware bowl.
Thicken the pulp
Place the bowl in a saucepan that is slightly smaller than the bowl.
Heat on a slow fire, stirring until thickened.
Let it cool, then measure the mixture.
Sweeten and dry
For every pint of mixture, add 1½ pounds of finely powdered loaf sugar.
Beat the mixture for at least three hours to incorporate the sugar.
Drop spoonfuls onto sheets of white paper to dry.
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 tart fruit pulp that gives the drops their flavour and body.
- Loaf sugar
- Sweetens the pulp and, once beaten in, helps the drops set firm as they dry.
The step that matters
Beating the mixture after adding sugar. Sugar must be fully worked into the thickened pulp for at least three hours. Thorough beating dissolves the sugar and builds a uniform texture, so the drops dry evenly instead of weeping or staying grainy.
“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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