Damson Cream
I developed this recipe after a neighbour offered me first pick of the damsons in her garden. I wanted something unfussy, to showcase the damsons themselves rather than crowding them with too many other flavours. The result is this baked cream in which lie suspended a glut of damsons. I think it's quite eye-catching, the deep purple swirls standing out against the bright yellow backdrop.
It's surprisingly simple, and needs no further adornment.
Ingredients
For the cream
For the fruit swirl
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 140°C fan. Make the fruit swirl by stoning and halving 250g damsons and heating them with an inch of water and sugar to taste in a saucepan. Heat until the fruit has broken down and then sieve the mixture through a metal sieve. Put to one side.
2. Stone and halve the damsons for the cream (500g). Sprinkle with a teaspoon of the caster sugar from the 100g sugar already weighed.
I developed this recipe after a neighbour offered me first pick of the damsons in her garden. I wanted something unfussy, to showcase the damsons themselves rather than crowding them with too many other flavours. The result is this baked cream in which lie suspended a glut of damsons. I think it's quite eye-catching, the deep purple swirls standing out against the bright yellow backdrop.
It's surprisingly simple, and needs no further adornment.
Ingredients
For the cream
- 500g damsons, stoned and halved
- 2 eggs
- 100g caster sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
- 200g creme fraiche
- 200ml double cream
For the fruit swirl
- 250g damsons, stoned and halved
- Caster sugar to taste (approximately 2 teaspoons)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 140°C fan. Make the fruit swirl by stoning and halving 250g damsons and heating them with an inch of water and sugar to taste in a saucepan. Heat until the fruit has broken down and then sieve the mixture through a metal sieve. Put to one side.
2. Stone and halve the damsons for the cream (500g). Sprinkle with a teaspoon of the caster sugar from the 100g sugar already weighed.
3. Mix the eggs, remaining sugar, vanilla bean paste, creme fraiche and double cream together.
4. Sprinkle the base of the dish with all but a handful of the damsons (keep the best halves for decorating the top). Cover the damsons with the cream.
5. Swirl over as much of the fruit swirl as you like (keep the rest for serving). Then, decorate with the damson halves.
6. Place the dish in a baking pan filled with water (this should reach about halfway up the side of the dish). This creates a bain marie which helps the cream to set. Bake at 140°C fan for 1 hour and then leave to cool completely before serving with the remaining fruit swirl.