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Dessert

Damson Preserves

A preserve made by boiling damsons with sugar until thick.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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Damson Preserves

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Seed and weigh the damsons.

  2. Dissolve the sugar in a preserving kettle.

Cook

  1. Bring the sugar to a boil.

  2. Add the damsons and boil until thick, skimming off any scum.

  3. Alternatively, combine damsons and sugar in a covered earthen vessel and cook in the stove for 3 hours.

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, pectin and tartness that give the preserve its body and flavor.
Sugar
Sweetens the fruit and, by concentrating as it boils, helps the preserve thicken and keep.

The step that matters

Boiling until thick while skimming scum. Sugar and fruit must reach a high enough concentration to set as they cool. Skimming removes foam and impurities so the preserve stays clear and fresh-tasting.

“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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