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Dessert

Syrup for Preserves

A syrup made from sugar, water, and isinglass used for preserving fruit.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Syrup for Preserves

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Combine sugar and water in a bowl and let it stand until dissolved.

  2. Dissolve the isinglass by pouring a little boiling water over it.

  3. Add the dissolved isinglass to the sugar mixture.

Cook

  1. Place the mixture over the fire and bring it to a boil.

  2. Skim off any scum that rises until no more appears.

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

Sugar
Provides sweetness and the body of the syrup.
Russian isinglass
Acts as a clarifying agent, helping impurities gather so they can be skimmed off.

The step that matters

Skim off the scum. Scum rising during boiling carries impurities and proteins. Removing it fully, and continuing until none appears, keeps the syrup clear and stable.

“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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