Home > Dessert Recipes > Basic Recipe > Damson Cheese
Damson Cheese
Ingredients
4 lb damsons
About 2 pints water
1 lb granulated sugar to every pound of purée
Method
Wash the fruit, put into a small preserving pan or a thick stewpan and pour in just enough water to come level with the fruit. Bring slowly to the boil and simmer gently until the fruit is thoroughly soft and pulpy. Stir occasionally.
While it is cooking, remove any stones that come to the surface. Push the pulp through a sieve or put into a blender, then weigh it and weigh out an equal amount of sugar. Clean out the pan, return both pulp and sugar to the pan, dissolve over low heat, then boil gently until very thick (35-40 minutes) stirring constantly. Towards the end of the cooking, stir more frequently to avoid any possibility of sticking. The cheese is done when a wooden spoon drawn through the centre leaves the mixture separated so as to show the bottom of the pan.
Have ready small, warmed jars or pots. Fill them with the purée, leave until cold, then tie down. Other fruit cheeses are made in the same way. Remember to add just sufficient water to enable the fruit to be cooked to a pulp. The reason for choosing a preserving or shallow pan is that a certain amount of evaporation must take place, especially when the fruit has been pulped and the sugar added.
Related food category:
