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Dessert

Damsons, to Preserve

A preserve made by layering damsons with sugar, cooking, and straining the juice.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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Damsons, to Preserve

Ingredients

Directions

The book gives no oven temperature. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.

Layer the fruit

  1. Layer damsons and sugar in a deep pot, starting with damsons.

  2. Strew a handful of sugar between layers until desired quantity is reached.

  3. Press the damsons down tightly.

Infuse and strain

  1. Place the pot in an oven at 300°F (150°C) or in a pot of water over heat.

  2. Let the damsons infuse until they are softened.

  3. Allow the mixture to cool.

  4. Strain the juice from the damsons.

  5. Boil the juice until well heated.

  6. Strain the juice until clear.

  7. Combine the juice with the damsons and let cool.

  8. Cover with a brandy paper and a wet bladder.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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, pulp and juice that form the preserve.
Loaf sugar
Sweetens the fruit and helps draw out juice and preserve it.

“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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