The Brits are crazy about fruit cheeses. Most of the recipes you’ll find are from England, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Americans are most familiar with quince paste, which is also popular in Europe and South America, although even that is rather exotic in the USA. It’s called “cheese” because you can slice it due to its hard-set consistency. I’ve wanted to make it for quite some time, so after a lot of research and the appearance of Damson plums at my local co-op, I cooked up a batch.
Damson plums are lovely little fruits with a blue black skin and green flesh. I also added the zest and juice of Meyer lemons to give the cheese more acid and body. The basic technique is similar to making jam, but you do not add pectin and the fruit is cooked until it’s almost a candy.
