Not cheese like cheddar- there’s no dairy anywhere near this recipe. Fruit cheese is a thick, sliceable preserve- thicker and denser than a jelly, wobblier than a jam- and it goes great on a cheeseboard. Turn your hedgerow finds into something that’ll last you through winter.
Makes: 2–3 small blocks
Prep and cook time: 1.5–2 hours
Keeps: can be aged and matured for 12 months (or longer) to improve flavour. Will last 4 weeks once opened
Ingredients
- Blackberries 1kg, fresh or frozen
- Water 100ml
- Granulated sugar Equal weight to strained pulp
- The juice of one lemon or orange
- Bay leaves (optional) 2, added during cooking
Equipment
- Large heavy-bottomed pan
- Fine sieve or food mill
- Oiled moulds or loaf tins
- Wooden spoon
- Kitchen scales
Mould options: Small silicone moulds give you neat rounds that turn out cleanly. A loaf tin lined with oiled greaseproof paper works just as well and you can make neat slices. Avoid anything too deep- thinner blocks set more reliably. I use plastic jelly/panna cotta moulds with a seal you can break on the top to allow easy decanting, because I’m classy and have things like that lying around…
Method
- Put the blackberries and water in a heavy pan. Cook on a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the fruit has completely broken down. This usually takes about 15–20 minutes.
- Push the cooked fruit through a fine sieve or food mill, discarding seeds and skins. Weigh the resulting pulp.
- Return the pulp to the pan. Add an equal weight of sugar and the lemon or orange juice. If using bay leaves, add them now too.
- Stir over a low heat until the sugar has fully dissolved. Don’t let it boil yet.
- Increase the heat and bring to a steady boil, stirring frequently. The mixture might spit- keep stirring, but watch your hands.
- Cook until the mixture is reduced and noticeably thicker. It’s ready when it pulls cleanly away from the sides of the pan and a spoonful on a cold plate sets firm in under a minute.
- Remove the bay leaves. Pour into your moulds immediately. Tap to remove air bubbles and smooth the surface.
- Leave to cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate overnight before turning out. It will firm up further as it sets.
- For a deeper, richer flavour, leave your blackberry cheese in the fridge to age for as long as you can. Some places will tell you it doesn’t last as long as jam, but I aged one for almost a year and it was rich, complex, floral and AMAZING.
Enjoy your blackberry cheese with smoked meat or cheeses. It pairs beautifully with a slice of smoked duck prosciutto or a chunk of smoked mature cheddar, for example.
