Nigel Slater's damson recipes

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Nigel Slater recipes

Steeping damsons or sloes in gin for a couple of months makes a delicious drink – and a great topping for a roast

Nigel Slater

Sat 15 Oct 2011 19.10 EDT

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Thank you to all of those who have suggested places for gathering sloes, the tiny deep-purple blackthorns with which I flavour my annual batch of sloe gin. Appreciation, too, for those who suggested freezing my damsons and sloes before macerating them in the alcohol rather than pricking them by hand. I did some that way and was impressed by the speed at which the fruit leaked its juices into the gin, but (and this is abig thing for me) the instant method rather took away from the pleasures of an autumn afternoon pricking my damsons with a pin. I suppose it is down to whether you cook purely for the end product or for the sheer joy and pleasure of the cooking process. Either way will get you your gin.

I am not much of a drinker, but the deep, fruity quality of sloe or damson gin (others like vodka) is something I look forward to all winter long. Making the garnet-hued drink with late damsons or early sloes is one of the highlights of the kitchen year, as much something to rejoice over as toasting the first crumpet or stirring the Christmas pudding.

For a quick version put your fruit into a zip-lock plastic bag and freeze them. Once they are hard, bash them with a rolling pin until their skins crack. They take a bit of hitting to give up their juices. Stuff the broken fruit into a Kilner to come a quarter of the way up the sides then tip in the sugar and gin, and shake well. I leave mine for two months at the very least, in a dark cupboard, turning the bottle over occasionally. Decant the gin into a clean gin bottle then use the fruit to accompany a roast pork or pheasant.

Damsons that have been strained from their liquor can be stoned and stirred into the cooking juices of a roast loin of pork or fillet of venison. They look a little wrinkled, but are full of the flavours of gin and fruit and not to use them would be a terrible crime. You could use them as the base of a boozy preserve, which is unlikely to set, by boiling the fruit with sugar and a little water until it partially thickens, then serve with warm, plain scones (no sultanas here) or a toasted, rough-edged crumpet. If you could face removing the stones from 50 tiny sloes (rather you than me) then a sorbet is another possibility. If the worst comes to the worst, seriously boozy compost is an option.

All this is very well if you have your own supply of damsons (I have a freezer full – damson gin in waiting), but you can also buy really fine versions, too. Try bramleyandgage.co.uk, who are happy to send their bottles by post. Aglug or two could transform a pan of flash-fried liver or a slow pot-roasted pheasant.

Sloe or damson gin

Pricking the diminutive fruits with a needle is less fiddly than it sounds; a job to do on a damp Saturday afternoon. The jars, filled with sugar, gin and fruit, need turning regularly until the sugar has dissolved, then tucking away in a dark corner for a couple of months while the magic gets to work.

sloes or damsons 900g, washed and picked over
sugar 700g
gin around 1.5 litres

Wipe the damsons, discarding any that are squashy or bruised. Prick the fruit all over with a needle and put them into glass preserving jars, layering them with the sugar. Alternatively, freeze the fruit in a sealable plastic bag, then bash them with a heavy object until they are cracked.

Half fill each of the jars with fruit. Pour gin over the fruit to fill the jars, keeping the gin bottles for later. Seal and leave in a cool place, preferably for three months. Turn the jars over from time to time – I do it every few days - or give them a respectful shake. Filter the gin through a muslin-lined funnel into the reserved gin bottles. Store in the cool, where it will keep for several months.

Duck breasts with damson gin

Serves 4
For the duck:
duck breasts 4, skin on
brown sugar 2 tbsp
sherry vinegar 4 tbsp
damson or sloe gin 4 tbsp
juniper berries 8

For the potatoes:
potatoes 3 medium sized
duck fat 3 tbsp
garlic a single clove

Make three or four deep slashes on the skin side of each breast, cutting down into the flesh, but not through it. Put them snugly into a china or steel dish.

Put the brown sugar into a mixing bowl with the sherry vinegar, sloe or damson gin, and a grinding of salt and black pepper. Mash the juniper berries to coarse, fragrant crumbs and add them to the sugar and vinegar mixture. Pour over the duck breasts, massaging the liquid into the skin and both sides of the duck flesh. Cover with clingfilm and marinate for at least four hours in the fridge. Overnight will not harm.

Make the potatoes: Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly. Melt the duck fat in a heavy, shallow pan, turn off the heat and add the potato slices in one layer, neatly overlapping and seasoning with salt, black pepper, thyme leaves and a little chopped garlic as you go. Bake for 35-40 minutes till golden brown. Get a griddle pan hot. Pat the duck breasts dry with kitchen paper, then place them skin side down on the hot griddle. Keeping the heat moderately high, leave them to colour on the skin side, brushing them regularly with the marinade left in the dish, then turn them over and leave to cook for a further 4 or 5 minutes until they are golden on the outside and pink in the middle. A good way to test them for doneness is to pierce the centre with a skewer. For a rose pink centre, you want the beads of juice that seep out to be red, not golden. Let the breasts rest for 4 or 5 minutes before you serve them.

Slice each duck breast diagonally into thick slices and serve with the roast potatoes.

Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk or visit theguardian.com/profile/nigelslater for all his recipes in one place

Nigel Slater's damson recipes | Food (2024)

Sloe or damson gin

Duck breasts with damson gin

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