Damson Cheese
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the fruit
Remove the stalks from the damsons and place them in a preserving pan.
Simmer over low heat until soft, stirring occasionally.
Beat the damsons through a coarse sieve to extract the pulp and juice.
Make the jam
Return the pulp and juice to the preserving pan and add the sugar.
Stir well and simmer slowly for 2 hours.
Skim off any foam, then boil quickly for 30 minutes or until it thickens.
Pot and seal
Pour into shallow pots or small earthenware molds and let cool.
Cover with oiled paper and seal jars with tissue paper brushed with egg white.
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, pectin and tart flavour that form the jam's body and taste.
- Loaf sugar
- Sweetens the jam and, as it concentrates, helps it thicken and set and keeps it preserved.
The step that matters
Boiling down after adding the sugar. Sugar must dissolve fully before a rapid boil, or the jam may crystallise. Boiling quickly then concentrates the mixture so it reaches setting point and thickens, rather than over-cooking into a dull, sticky result.
“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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