The autumnal manic preserving has continued apace and i thought i’d share with you my latest exploits. I was given a load of apples via work, from a long neglected apple tree outside the office hence producing very small fruit. The thought of peeling and chopping them all individually didn’t fill me with domestic joy so i decided to try out a recipe for ‘apple cheese’. The concept of fruit cheese in fact originated from wartime austerity whereby the pulp leftover from fruit jellies was re-used, although with a bit of compromise on flavour.

To me it’s a bit of a misnomer. Why call something that you eat with cheese, cheese? That reminds me – when we lived in Hailes Street, Lyla’s first attempt at naming butter was “butter-cheese!’. Maybe she was onto something.

For apple cheese there is nothing more to preparing the fruit than simply chopping into quarters and stewing gently with water. Ideal for those small knobbly little buggers.

Next, pass the pulp through a sieve. It will need a bit of encouragement to come through… Place the concentrated puree into a saucepan and add 3/4 of it’s volume in sugar. (100ml = 75g sugar). Boil for around an hour until it darkens and takes on a glossy texture. At this stage i tested it for setting point using the traditional method of placing a wee blob onto a plate and putting in the fridge. If set in a few minutes, you’re laughing. Literally, as there is nothing worse than unset preserves, because there is no going back once you’ve potted them.

Oil some ramekins so your little mounds of joy will slide out without too much objection.Seal with waxed paper and string or elastic, and leave to set for a few days. Then serve the little lovelies with a some medium flavoured cheese. Anything too strong and the delicate apple-y-ness gets lost.

The recipe came from this 1970’s preserving book. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s ideal for the novice but with a bit of know-how the recipes are truly authentic, and they work (which is more than can be said for internet preserving recipes, many of which are complete rubbish.)

More preserves coming up next week!