Good Common Preserve
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the pulp
Boil the fruit until soft enough to press through a sieve.
Weigh the pulp and boil it over a brisk fire for 30 minutes.
Add sugar and finish
Add ½ pound of sugar for each pound of fruit and boil quickly for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring constantly.
If using cherries, stew them separately until tender before adding.
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
- Early fruit
- Provides the main flavor and natural pectin that helps the preserve thicken and set.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the preserve and, with boiling, helps it thicken and keep well.
The step that matters
Boiling quickly with the sugar while stirring constantly. Sugar can scorch on the bottom of the pan if left still, and the mixture must reach a high enough concentration of sugar and acid for the pectin to gel properly. Constant stirring and a quick boil prevent scorching and help it set.
“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.
More fruit preserve recipes
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.