)
Damsons are the latest of the plum-type fruits to ripen.
Their normal season is mid to late September, though it should be noted that this varies slightly from year to year, and that this year the season has been a little early. Several varieties such as Merryweather are not true damsons, but rather plum/damson crosses. True damsons are not dessert varieties and are very tannic and “mouth-puckering”. A variety such as Shropshire Prune is a true damson with an intense flavour when cooked or steeped in a spirit such as gin. Here is one of my favourite damson recipes.
DAMSON FOOL (Serves 4)
1 ½ lbs / 675 g damsons
A very small amount of water
6 oz / 150 g caster sugar, or to taste
½ pint / 300 ml / 10 fl oz double cream
Halve the damsons and cook gently with a very little water (3 tbsps?) until soft. This next bit is hard work but definitely worth it! Rub the cooked damsons through a nylon sieve to remove the stones and skin. You want to lose as little of the precious damson flesh as possible. Add sugar to taste to the puréed damson flesh and leave till cold.
Whip the cream to the soft peak stage, taking care not to overwhip it. Gradually fold in the puréed damsons. Chill before serving.
This is the most glorious colour!
This is a flexible recipe for all sorts of fruit. Normal proportions are 1 lb fruit to ½ pint cream, with sugar to taste. Any left over fool can be frozen and served as an ice cream.
Early apple varieties do not keep, unlike later varieties some of which continue to mature with storage. Discovery is an early variety (its original name was Thurston August). It is delicious when first picked but the texture becomes “woolly”. It has a flavour reminiscent of strawberries, a characteristic it has inherited from Worcester Pearmain, one of its parents. Discovery is an apple which originated in Essex.
AUTUMN FRUIT SALAD (Serves 6)
450g / 1 lb dessert apples, crisp-textured and preferably with a colourful skin and preferably some balancing acidity. Discovery newly picked or a little underripe are ideal
300 g / 10 – 11 oz blackberries
A couple of tablespoons demerara sugar
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 tbsps Somerset Pomona or apple juice (or try undiluted blackberry and apple cordial and omit the sugar)
Zest and juice the lemon. Core and chop the apple roughly and put in a decorative glass bowl with the lemon juice. Toss the pieces of apple carefully in the lemon juice (to prevent them browning). Carefully mix in the blackberries and lemon zest. Sprinkle in the sugar and Pomona. Mix carefully. Chill. Serve with Greek yoghurt.