Day 164: the autumn queen
Our yearly damson pickings are often shaken in a jar with sugar, drowned in vodka, sealed and then left in a cupboard for 2-3 months. Towards the end of their steep, a splash of spiritus is added; a 95% alcohol used for all manner of things - cleaning, preserving, adding to the cream filling of cakes - but here is used to add a little something extra to that cockle-warming charm. After a few more weeks, the plum-purple liqueur - nalewka - is then strained into a bottle and enjoyed over Christmas. It’s nice sipped both at room temperature and straight from the top drawer of the freezer. We then keep the now sloshed damsons, heat them with a bit of the nalewka and then spoon them over vanilla seed-flecked ice cream.
I don’t tend to do anything else with damsons as I’m not really into making my own jams, to be honest; I don’t really eat jam and I’d rather any spare time I had for preserving went towards pickling and making chutneys. However, on Instagram, Nigella told me, and I quote, “Damson fool is divine too”.
A quick hop on Google and a read through this article in The Guardian by food and drink writer, Felicity Cloake, and I discover that Nigella even has a recipe for Damson Fool herself. (Of course she does!).
Nigella’s Damson Fool
I didn’t have any ground mixed spice, so I made my own with a small pinch of each of the following: ground cinnamon, grated nutmeg, ground coriander, ground ginger, ground allspice and ground mace. I also used black treacle in place of the dark muscovado sugar, as I didn’t have any of that either.
I’m not sure if fools are supposed to have a more rippled effect but I just couldn’t stop stirring. I was hypnotised watching the clashing colours merge so beautifully; the ethereal blood of Autumn rippling into the soft, white cream.
Flavour musings
A warmly-spiced damson purée folded through sweetened, soft-whipped double cream. A heavenly pud rippling regally with the ethereal blood of Autumn. This dessert is the Queen of Autumn.
I do not believe this recipe is online, however, you can find it on p52 of How To Eat.
