Damson and Blackberry Pockets - Test 1

I adapted a tart recipe to make this and knocked it out of the field on the first try! They are a bit dangerous, like cookies, where one doesn't seem to be quite enough... The technique is the thing, different fillings can totally be possible, even probable.

Sweet Pie Crust

225 g flour

generous pinch salt

1½ Tbsp sugar

170 g butter

¾ tsp vanilla

3–4 Tbsp cold water

Fruit Filling

1 cup (150–170g) damsons, after being quartered and stoned (200g whole)

1/2 cup (60–75g) blackberries

2 Tbsps. (16g) ground almonds

1/3 cup (72g) brown sugar

a pinch of salt

a pinch of ground ginger (or nutmeg, or cinnamon)

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1/2 teaspoon sugar

For the dough

1. Put the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and pinch with your fingers to create a lumpy mixture with pea-sized pieces throughout. We're not looking for perfection here, just to break up the butter a bit and spread it out.
2. Make a well in the middle, and pour in the vanilla and water. Quickly work in the flour to create dough. Do not over-mix. The bits of butter are what help the crust become crisp and flaky.
3. Pat into a thick disk and refrigerate 15 minutes.
4. Roll out the dough to about 2⁄3 of the usual size, fold in, reform into a ball and roll out again. You can do this one more time if you want before rolling it out completely to line the tart shell. Chill another 15 minutes. These two chilling times are important, because it hardens the little bits of butter in the dough so that it creates minuscule pocket in the crust for that flaking effect.

For the filling

1. While working on the dough, cook the damsons and blackberries in a small pot with a Tbsp of water on low for about 20 minutes. Let it cool completely.
2. Remove the damson pits and add the ground almonds, sugar, salt and ground spice. Cool completely. 
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
4. (WOULD IT BE BETTER TO ROLL OUT A SHEET AND CUT UP?) Divide the dough into 36g balls (this gives you 14 balls initially, but saving the trimmings you will get enough to make 2 more balls of 36g for a total of 16).
5. Roll out the dough to about 1/8" into 4.5x5" rectangles.
6. Wet 1/2" (about the width of an adult forefinger) around the edges of a piece of dough with water, dollop 30g of the damson blackberry mixture in the middle, lay another rectangle on top and press around the edges with your fingers to seal. Trim each side for an even edge and set on a cookie tray.
7. Brush the top of each pocket with the sweet yolk mixture.
8. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 20–25 minutes or until the pastry is cooked and golden brown. 

Drunken Damson Pudding - Testing

http://www.ireland-guide.com/article/drunken-damson-dessert.7969.html

1 - The flavor of the gin was far too strong. The other possibility might be to mix the damsons with non-alcoholized fruit.

100g (31/2 oz) sugar
8 medium eggs
500g (18oz) 70% dark chocolate, chopped small
250g (9oz) butter
200g (7oz) stoned damsons used to make damson gin

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 
2. Butter an 8" shallow pie dish or 8 ramekins.
3. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale and creamy. 
4. In a bain-marie, melt the chocolate and butter, mixing constantly to combine them. 
5. Whisking constantly, very slowly drizzle the chocolate mixture into the egg and sugar mixture until perfectly combined, then add the drained fruit. 
6. Pour into the baking dish or divide between ramekins ensuring that there is fruit in each one.
7. Bake for 12 minutes for the pie dish or 6 minutes for the ramekins, until firm to the touch, but still slightly wobbly. The internal temperature in the center should be 170°F for complete doneness. Leave to cool and serve with your favourite cream.
8. HINT: Resist any temptation to drizzle a little left-over gin over this pudding. It is far too strong and will overwhelm the chocolate and fruit flavours.

Testing - Damson Plum Shrubs

https://www.saveur.com/plum-shrub-recipe/
https://honestlyyum.com/5738/plum-shrub/

0 - What is the difference in flavour? The first is cooked, the second is raw.

3 parts strained plum juice (reserved from Plumbrillo), divided
3 parts sugar
1 part white wine vinegar

In a medium, heavy-bottomed pot fitted with a candy thermometer, add 1 cup of the plum juice and all of the sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally to ensure the sugar dissolves quickly. Regulate the heat to prevent the mixture from boiling over, and cook until it is thickened and registers 230–234°F on the thermometer (the “thread” stage), about 10 minutes.
Immediately stir in the remaining 2 cups plum juice. Add the vinegar and cook until the mixture registers 182°F on the thermometer, then maintain that temperature for 1 minute to pasteurize. Remove from the heat, and carefully transfer the shrub to sterilized bottles or jars. Clean the rims and sides with a kitchen towel and seal firmly with lids. Follow recommended water bath canning procedures to jar, or let cool completely and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.

2 parts chopped plums (tightly packed)
2 parts sugar
1 part red wine vinegar
1 part apple cider vinegar

Core and chop the plums and add them to a non-reactive mixing bowl. Add the sugar and stir until the plums are thoroughly coated.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Let the mixture sit for at least 24 hours. While the mixture is resting, the sugar will begin to extract the juice from the plums, creating a rich plum syrup.
Remove the mixture from the fridge and strain the syrup and any excess sugar into a new mixing bowl. Firmly press on the plums to release any remaining juice. Whisk in the vinegar, dissolving the sugar as you go. Transfer the shrub into a bottle for storage.
NOTES
The flavors will continue to develop as time passes. The vinegar will mellow and new notes of fruit will emerge.

Testing - Damson Cheese, or Plum Paste or Pumbrillo

https://www.saveur.com/plum-paste-plumbrillo-recipe/
http://experimentalmouffette.blogspot.com/2017/12/testing-damson-plum-cheese.html

3½ lb. ripe plums
12 oz. (1½ cups) sugar, plus more as needed
Butter
Optional - 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1. Wash the plums (do not peel or remove the pits) and place in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add enough water to barely cover the plums, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to maintain a strong simmer, and cook until the fruit is very tender, 20–25 minutes. 
2. Remove from the heat, and let cool slightly. Squeeze out the pits and put the emptied, cooked fruit through a fruit masher and sieve (pictured). 
3. In a large strainer or in a muslin bag set over a large, heat-resistant bowl, let the plums strain out their excess juices (do not press on the fruit or attempt to force the pulp through the strainer). Reserve the plum juice for another use. 
4. Measure the pulp (you should have about 2½ cups or 1¼ pounds). Stir in the sugar, adding more as needed to maintain a ratio of 6 parts sugar to 10 parts fruit. Add the lemon juice, cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.
5. Meanwhile, put a small plate in the freezer (to test the mash, later).
6. Bring to a boil then cook the mash at the lowest setting on the stove top until it gets so thick that when you scrape a wooden spoon along the bottom it stays apart for a few seconds before it to close up again. Make sure to stir frequently. This will take a long time, over an hour.
7. NOTE: If you're using a candy thermometer, the mixture should never exceed 221F)
8. Retrieve the plate from the freezer and place a small drop of the plum mixture on the surface. If it starts to set and form a skin after a minute, the preserves are ready. If it remains runny, return the plate to the freezer and cook the plum mixture a few minutes more before testing again.
9. Boiled some glass jars along with their lids and when they are still warm slathered a tiny bit of butter inside before putting in the damson mush.
10. Remove the plum mixture from the heat. Ladle carefully into sterilized jars leaving 1/2" space at the top, then clean the rims and sides with a kitchen towel.
11. Seal firmly with the lids, then loosen by 1/4 turn. Check for air bubbles, and if necessary, tap the jars gently on the towel to work any bubbles upwards and out. 
12. For water bath canning, put the jars on a rack in a large pot of boiling water. The jars must not sit directly on the kettle bottom. Adding the jars with slow the boil. Return the water to a good boil and only then start to count the processing time: for 235ml or smaller jars, 10 minutes. For larger jars, 20 minutes.
13. In a draft-free spot where the jars won't be moved, place a towel over a baking sheet. Leave to cool for 12 - 24 hours to fully seal the jars, and allow the cheese to set.
14. OPTION: if for immediate use or if you don't want the bother of canning, let cool completely and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.

Roast Pork Glazed with Fresh Damson Sauce

https://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090917072637AAFhAII

I would make a spicy damson plum and ginger sauce or glaze for the pork either a crown roast or extra thick pork chops/gammon steaks even the small ribs/sweet and sour cut are nice with this sauce, we use to get large jars of preserved damsons and jam in Jamaica at the hotel I was a sous chef at.

If they're hard to stone split them and cook until soft and press the flesh through a sieve or strainer, the pits actually aid in the setting of the jam, also try to quarter them this sometimes will work out the stones and save a few for the garnish of the dish.

I just saute a small onion with a bit of garlic and 2 slices of fresh ginger, add a bit of brown sugar and caramelize the base, then add a bit of vinegar and the plums, cook until soft, now I use black/blue Hungarian plums here in Canada but they are close to Damsons in texture and flavour, then I season it, you can add some spice while cooking like cinnamon, chili flakes or a fresh hot pepper.

Then cook the roast or chop or as I said ribs,and brush the sauce on about 15-20 minute before they are done as it can burn if on too long and serve a bit on the side for extras.

Damson and Blackberry Pie - Testing

https://www.britishlarder.co.uk/damson-and-bramble-plate-pie/

1 - This makes for quite a tart yet delicious filling. I used frozen blackberries and frozen damsons - honestly, in this area the blackberries are long done by the time the little damsons come into season, so I don't know how they could be made seasonally. But with freezing, they make for a lovely fruit dessert in the winter or in the spring before anything fresh is ready to eat. It is tart enough that it should be matched with an ice cream or with a crème anglaise.

1.1 - I made a crème anglaise and I think the problem isn't the accompaniment but there isn't enough sugar. So there! I'm increasing the sugar from 2 Tbsps to 1/3 cup.

2 - Why was my pie shell so empty? I could easily have doubled it. Even when I went to look at the original, it was the same quantities. Ah, I just noticed, for the damsons it says 150g PREPARED WEIGHT. Woops, I weighed before removing the stones. Even then, though it wouldn't fill up my shallowest pie shell! I made it before so let's see what happens once it's cooked. It made a very odd pie but very good. I feel odd calling it a pie. And the crust kind of melted to sandwich the filling. But it's also very good. I wonder if I doubled the filling, what would it be like? Is it better like this and I just have to work out what to do with the crust?

2  1 recipes sweet pie crust
1/2 cup (60–75g) blackberries
1 cup (150–170g) damsons, after being quartered and stoned (200g whole)
2 Tbsps. (16g) ground almonds
1/3 cup (72g) brown sugar
a pinch of salt
a pinch of ground ginger (or nutmeg, or cinnamon)
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1/2 teaspoon sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Cook the damsons and blackberries in a small pot with a Tbsp of water on low for about 20 minutes. Let it cool completely.
3. Remove the damson pits and add the ground almonds, sugar, salt and ground spice. 
4. Roll out the pie dough quite thin, enough to fold over and leave about a 1 to 2" diameter opening on top (dimension?)
5. Line a pie plate with the pie dough. 
6. Pile the fruit mixture on to the lined plate, brush the edge of the pastry with water, then fold over the excess dough, folding the edges where they overlap and giving them time to stick together.
7. Brush the top of the pie with the sweet egg yolk mixture.
8. Bake the pie in the oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 20–25 minutes or until the pastry is cooked and golden brown. It's recommended to place a cookie sheet underneath to catch drips.
9. Remove from the oven and let the pie rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with hot custard, clotted cream, crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.

Test 3 - Damson Pie 3

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/711636/damson-pie

1 - First attempt, not bad in spite of goofs. I blind-baked the crust at the wrong temperature and it went all manky. Interestingly, we ate half the pie hot where the crust seemed non-existent underneath, and the juice from the plums was all runny. The next day, once the pie had cooled, the crust appeared and the plums had gelled.
2 - I blind baked properly; added 1/4 cup sugar to the custard; added 2 Tbsps flour to the plum juice; omitted the honey. Erica felt the plums were less tart, which she missed, but Ben and Chad liked tonight's version better. The extra whites I used to make pasta dough for parsnip ravioli.
3 - This time I made it for Matthew's birthday potluck. I didn't add flour this time, and allowed the pie to cool (almost) completely. The plums were frozen, so I stewed them with the pits in, which I think is better because of the slight almond flavour they give. After stewing, I separated the juices and let the juice and the plums cool while making the rest of the pie, and the juices turned to jelly! Like, completely jellied. So, slight variations could be to

• blind bake the crust, let it cool completely
• stew the plums and strain the juices directly into the cooled crust, pit the fruit and let it cool completely
• mix the hot cream and yolk, allow to cool completely, an pour on top
• bake and allow to cool completely before serving. 

Would there be a noticeable difference? Would the extra effort really make a difference? When I first made it, everything was hot and the plum mixture swirled up into the custard, which was rather pretty and could give a lovely pink marbling effect. But the thicker layer of fruit and juices of tonight's pie was equally appealing. More variations to try!

1 recipe pie crust, baked blind @ 400F for 15 minutes, completely cooled
8oz fresh damsons, washed and pitted
1/4 cup + 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup milk
6 egg yolks

1. Blind bake the crust and let cool completely!
2. Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
3. Stew the fruit with the 1/4 cup sugar and water until soft, about 20 minutes. Remove the pits, and spread the fruit equally across the bottom of the crust.
4. Return the juices to the heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes more, to get the juices to the jellying stage.  Allow to cool slightly and, before it gels, pour drain the juice in a bowl and whisk in the flour. into the pie crust and over the fruit . Allow this to cool completely and gel.
5. Put the egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Slowly warm the cream, milk and 1/4 cup sugar in a saucepan. Just before boiling, remove from the heat and, whisking constantly, slowly pour into the egg yolks until the mixture is smooth. Only pour over the fruit once the plum juices have gelled.
6. Scatter the stewed fruit into the pastry case, and pour in the juice. Slowly pour over the custard mixture. 
7. Bake in the oven for about 30-45 minutes or until set.

Testing - Damson Plum Cheese

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/sep/07/damson-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/allotment/2011/oct/05/allotments-gardeningadvice1
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/spiced-damson-cheese
http://bunscuffle.co.uk/2013/10/damson-cheese-recipe

1 - I did not follow any of these recipes and I'm not sure what I did. Ta-da! However, what I did do was to take the plums I'd made gin with, cooked them, let them cool, then squeezed the pits out of them. I then ran them through the food mill which I discovered is for vegetables and can't do fruit stones. I then cooked the mash at the lowest setting on the stove top, added sugar, cooked it a bit longer until it got so thick that when I ran a spatula along the bottom it took a few for it to close up again. The I boiled some glass jars and when they were still warm slathered a tiny bit of butter inside before putting in the damson mush.
2 - Another shamefully shamefully executed testing. I just used what plums I had left over from making the damson gin. I didn't have my fruit mill handy since I was chicken-sitting at 'Chadica' Farm so I hand-removed the pits and used a food processor to mash everything before forcing through a colander. I taste-tested to get the amount of sweetness I thought it needed and then reduced it for about an hour (I added water while processing because it was too dry to properly go through the machine) and then boiled it, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes (guessing, again). I did follow the instruction to look for the clear line that stays. But I feel like that is insufficient. I want it to have a soft jujube texture and need to figure out how to do that.

3 - Ok, I finally figured it out. When the fruit starts to boil, clip on a candy thermometer, reduce it to a rapid simmer and continue to cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the thermometer reads 220F/105C. This can take upwards of 30 minutes, less if you add more sugar, longer if you have less sugar.

1. Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water. 
2. Leave 1/2 inch space at the top of the jar when filling it. 
3. Screw lids on until not quite as tight as possible - screw on tight, then loosed by 1/4 turn.
4. Put each jar on a rack in a large pot of boiling water. Jars must not sit directly on the kettle bottom. 
5. Once the pot returns to the boil, begin processing (boiling) time of 10 minutes if using half-pint or smaller jars (235 ml or smaller), 20 minutes for larger. 
6. After the time has elapsed, remove jars to a cloth-covered counter or baking sheet, away from any drafts. Do not move for at least 12 hours — 24 hours is best — so that the jars fully seal and the jam sets.

Testing - Homemade Sherries

https://jamesbonfieldrecipes.wordpress.com/2010/11/27/plum-liqueur-plum-gin/
https://www.growforagecookferment.com/conifer-infused-vodka/
https://gathervictoria.com/2015/12/01/perfect-yuletide-drink-emily-hans-douglas-fir-liqueur/

I think this is the recipe I based last Christmas' plum sherry on, but I did a shoddy job of recording it. Here it is again, possibly... maybe...hopefully with what were likely the same alterations I effected last year! (Although, I must admit I likely used more sugar last year, and I know I used gin, not vodka.) We have such a wealth of plums on the property! Last year I used large Italian plums, while this year I'm starting with Victory plums.

1 - It would appear that Gin is preferable over Vodka. The liquor from the plums soaked in vodka have a taste of prune which, while not bad, is not the excellent sherry I made last winter when I used gin.
2 - 2017: I'm trying different things - blackberries with bay laurel; crabapple; little wild plums; golden plums; Douglas fir needles. We had a strange spring and barely any Damson and Italian Prune plums formed, along with very few apples and pears.
3 - Different ingredients appear to require different steeping periods. NOTE: If infusing needles/leaves in 750ml, is 75g of sugar enough?

800g 400g Plums  stone fruit, or a hefty handful of leaves/needles/flowers or
200g 75g white sugar
70cl 275-300 ml 1 cup Spirit enough to cover or for leaves/needles/flowers, a 750ml bottle of spirit (reasonable quality vodka or gin, 37.5% ABV min)

(Try this:2 large handfuls conifer tips or needles, roughly chopped
1⁄2 cup (60 g) dried hawthorn berries or 1 cup (100 g) fresh
2 whole allspice berries
1 bottle (750 ml, or 31⁄4 cups) vodka
1/2 cup sugar
Leave to steep for 2 weeks, decant and let sit for one week before drinking)

Place the plums on a board and stab with a fork

1. For stone fruit, pierce each plum fruit with a fork in two places. For soft fruit, small fruit and leaves/needles, a good handful for every 3 cups of spirit.
2. In a sterilized Kilner Jar, jar that will just fit all the plums, add the plums and sugar. (Nigel Slater says only half-fill with plums (fruit) and then fill with gin)
3. Pour over the spirit. Seal the jar and shake well.
4. Over the next 2-3 days, shake periodically until the sugar has dissolved, then store the jar in a dark cupboard. For stone fruit, leave to steep for 3 months;for soft fruit, 2-3 weeks; for leaves/needles/flowers for 1 week to 2 months.
5. Strain the mixture through a muslin and check the sweetness – bottle up and add extra sugar if required. DON’T DISCARD THE PLUMSFRUIT! You can use them for baking/jam/jelly-making etc.
6. Store for another month or more before drinking.