Quinces

[kyles]

No one else understands my excitement.......I adore quinces and have never been able to get them in England.

I have finally found a supplier and am getting a box of them tomorrow!!!! On the weekend I am going to make Spanish quince paste, quince yoghurt cake and quince meat for my mince pies for Christmas.

I am soooooooooooo excited!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mudbug]

Good on you, kyles. 'appy coooookeeeeng!

 

[buckytom]

that's quince-tastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (lol, leafy)

kyles, go to the maatha stewart website/cell block m to search for quince recipes if you have any leftovers. she is always bragging about her quince trees (that a horde of gardeners care for, or they are beaten and forced to make children's clothing and housewares for kmart)

 

[Audeo]

You lucky, lucky girl, kyles!!! Do enjoy! I'm rather fond of them, myself...

 

[debthecook]

I saw them in the market too. Any good recipes out there, the only time I have quince is in marmalade.

 

[Ishbel]

I have a couple of quince trees in my garden - they were there when we bought the house. I don't know if it is unusual for quince trees to grow so far north, but they flourish - perhaps because they are protected on two sides by a 15 foot dry stone wall? For many years I used to let the fruits either rot on the trees or drop to the ground and clear them out when we cleaned up the orchard area before winter!

About 15 years ago, a friend asked if she could have the fruits and then presented me with a few jars of quince jelly and quince and apple jam. Needless to say, after that we split the fruits and I now make my own quince jelly which I mostly use as a change from redcurrant jelly when cooking certain lamb dishes. Here's a recipe I have, cannot give the source of the recipe, as I didn't bother to write down where I copied it from and my excuse is that it WAS about 15 years ago.... (No plagiarism intended!)

This makes approx 4 jars
The measurements used are UK Imperial measures - and I think that pints, for instance, are different measurements in the UK and US.

4lb quinces
Rind and juice of 3 lemons
6 pints water
Sugar (exact weight is determined by liquid volume)

Wash the down from the quinces and chop into chunks (Don't worry about removing skin or pips, which will both aid the setting process.

Simmer in four pints (2.25 litres) water, with the lemon rind and juice, in a preserving pan until tender. This should take about an hour

Strain the contents of the pan through a jelly-bag

Return the pulp to the pan with the remaining water, setting the liquid aside for a moment while you boil up the pulp.

Once the pulp is boiling, turn down heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, then strain through the jelly-bag again.

Mix the two pots of liquid together and measure the quantity, adding 1lb sugar to each pint of liquid
Return liquid and sugar to the pan and boil vigorously until setting point has been reached

Pour into warm sterilised jars and cover.

The end result should give you a translucent red jelly which sets easily. Can be eaten as a jam or used as an accompaniment to roast lamb dishes.

 

[debthecook]

Heres a recipe I have adapted from "1,000 Jewish Recipes", I have not tried it.:

Quinces in Cinnamon Syrup

6 large quinces cut in eigths and cored
1 strip lemon peel 1/2 inch wide and 2 inches long
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 tsp cinnamon

Place quinces in heavy saucepan. Add lemon peel and enough water to cover. Bring to boil. Cook uncovered over medium heat, occasionally turning quinces, about 50 minutes until they are tender and half the water has evaporated. Discard lemon peel.
Add sugar and cinnamon. Swirl pan gently to dissolve sugar without disturbing quinces. COok over medium low heat gently basting quinces about 20 minutes. Quinces should look glazed. If necessary, remove them with slotted spoon, cook syrup down a bit before pouring over quinces. Refrigerate quinces and syrup in a bowl, Serve cold.

 

[kyles]

I made the quince paste. It is an easy recipe, the killer is the method!!!

Peel your quinces, you need to wash them well first, scrubbing the down off with a brush. Slice them into chunks, I don't bother coring or pipping them, partly because the cores and pips break down, and they release extra pectin, which helps later.

Put them in a non-reactive pan with enough water to come up the sides of the pan. I use about 9 quinces and one and a half cups of water. Squeeze in the juice of a lemon.

Cook on a medium heat until soft, about 40 minutes. Then puree the quinces, with a stab blender or processor, or pass them through a moolie.

Weigh the puree. Place back in the pan with three quarters the weight of sugar. Cook on a gentle heat until thick, and very red looking, takes about 4 - 6 hours. You'll need to stir it, I do this about once every half hour. If it is beginning to catch turn the heat down, or use a simmer mat.

Spread the cooked mixture into a tin lined with foil, and dry. You can put it in a low oven over night, or in a sunny spot for a week or two.

Serve with cheese.