Cheese....... but not as you may know it !

[henry d]

I went back out to the high seat after a fox yesterday.......no joy, however the last of the cherries are ripening still on the trees and there are some rasps too.

 

As I have plenty of jam (except bramble as they aren`t ready yet) I remembered that we used to make Cheeses & Butters at home so I am out there today as it is dry and quite sunny.

 

Fruit butters and fruit cheese are old-fashioned names for preserves made with fruit puree and sugar. Generally the fruits used for jellies are also the best ones for butter and cheeses and they are often made from the pulp left in the jelly bag after the juice has dripped.

 

1. Clean and roughly chop large fruits, discarding any parts that are bruised or diseased. Small fruits may be used whole.

2. Place the fruit into the preserving pan and just cover with cold water. Simmer until soft, adding lemon juice or citric acid to fruits low in acid.

3. Rub the softened fruit through a nylon or plastic sieve to produce a fine pulp. Weigh the pulp and pour it into a clean preserving pan or saucepan.

4. To make a cheese add a similar weight of sugar to the pulp and stir until dissolved. Simmer for 1 hour or until the cheese thickens, stirring the mixture consistently.

5. To make a fruit butter boil the pulp until it is thick, then stir in half the pulp’s weight of sugar, plus spices if required. Simmer until the mixture is thick and creamy.**EDIT** Stir regularly or it will burn !!!

6. Fruit cheese is ready when a spoon drawn across the pan leaves a clean line. Fruit butter is ready when no free liquid is visible and the surface is creamy.

7. Pour cheeses into clean, hot, dry sterilized small wide-necked jars or moulds that have been greased with glycerine. Pour fruit butters into clean, hot, dry sterilized jars as when making jam.

8. Wipe the jars or moulds clean and cover immediately whilst still hot.

9. Leave to cool and label with contents and date made.

 

Edited August 19, 2010 by henry d