Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Put it quickly into plates or shallow moulds ; lay brandied or oiled papers over it, and cover the jars closely. Keep in a dry place. Before being served, it may be cut into shapes. Damson cheese is usually served at dessert. Time, two or three hours to draw out the juice; about two hours to boil ths sugar and fruit together. Probable cost, 9d. or lOd. a four ounce jar. Sufficient, one pound of damsons for a small jar. Damson Cheese (another way). — Select ripe, sound fruit. Put the damsons into a large stone jar, and allow a quarter of a pound of sugar to every quart of fruit. Set the jar up to its neck in a vessel of boiling water, or place it in a very cool oven till the fruit is tender ; then remove the stones with a fork, and boil all together in a preserving-pan till it is a thick pulp. Add half a pound of pounded loaf sugar to each pound of fruit, and boil it again until it leaves the pan quite dry, and is a thick mass. Be careful to stir always or it will burn. Put it into moulds with a brandied paper over the top. Tie down, and store in a dry place. Time, two hours and a half to boil. Probable cost, 8d. to lOd. per small pot. Sufficient, one pint for a very small pot. Damson Cheese (another way). — Place the fruit unskinned in a stone jar in a saucepan of water. Set the pan over the fire, and allow it to boil until the fruit appears dry; take out the stones, pour off some of the liquid, and to every two pounds of fruit add half a pound of sugar; stir it well, and allow it to simmer slowly for two hours, after which, boil it quickly for half an hour. The jam may then be poured into pots, and covered so as totally to exclude the air. Damson Drops.— Pick the stalks from some damsons, wipe them and put them into a moderately-heated oven to bake, but do not let them burst. When sufficiently done take off the skin and remove the stone ; add some crushed lump sugar to the pulp, and mix until it is a stiff paste. Drop the mixture upon paper in small quantities of uniform size, and put them into a moderately-heated oven to dry. When sufficiently dry, take them out and turn them down over a sieve, when, by damping the paper, the drops will fall on the sieve, and must be again hardened in a cool oven. Store them in a box with paper between each layer. They will keep a long time in this way if the air be excluded from them. Damson Jam (Bullacc or Common Plum). — All fruits to be preserved should be gathered after two successive dry days, if possible. Get damsons quite ripe and freshly gathered ; boil them forty minutes without sugar, then simmer and skim fifteen minutes with three-quarters of a pound of good sugar to each pound of damsons. Common sugar is thought by some persons to be good enough for dark-colored preserves, but they are not the most economical, as will be shown by the quantity of scum which rises to the surface. Put into pots and cover with egged paper, which readily sticks to the pots and excludes the air. A paper dipped in brandy may be laid on the top of the jam, but it is not necessary. Store in a dry place. Probable cost, 6d. to 8d. per pound pot.