Food & Drink

Quince Jelly

Recipes from Suzanne James | www.suzannejames.co.uk

It’s Quince time again. Originating from eastern Turkey and Afghanistan, but now found all over Europe, as both an ornamental and orchard tree the fruit is inedible raw, and the most common use is to make quince jelly and quince cheese. It can also be stewed and used like stewed apple in pies. Quince is ripe in October and November in the UK (they still feel hard but smell sweet at the end opposite the stalk). Lots of people have Quince but don’t use them so it’s worth asking around (I am lucky to have access to free Quince for this very reason). Every year I make Quince Jelly to serve with Christmas cheeseboards or alongside pork or game dishes. It is high in pectin so it is easy to make and set, and provided you ladle the hot jelly into sterilised jars it will keep for up to a year in a dark, cool cupboard.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time 2 hours

Ingredients

(This quantity will make 2 x 350ml jars) • 1.5kg ripe quince, washed and cut into 1” chunks (no need to peel or core them) • 1 lemon zest peeled and cut into strips, and then juiced • Approx. 900g of preserving sugar

Method

1) Put the quince, lemon peel and juice into a large, deep saucepan. 2) Cover with water – just over 3 litres should do it. 3) Bring to the boil. 4) Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1½ hours until the quince is very soft. 5) Line a colander with a muslin cloth and put over a large saucepan or heatproof bowl. 6) Tip the quince into the lined colander, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to strain for 4-8 hours until all the juice has dripped out. 7) Discard the pulp (can go on the compost heap) and then measure out the strained juice and transfer into a large, deep saucepan, allowing room for the jelly to bubble up as it cooks. 8) Add 500g of sugar for every 600ml of juice. 9) Bring the mixture to the boil over a low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and skimming off any scum, then bring to a rapid boil so it bubbles. Once boiling start the ‘wrinkle test’ - drop a teaspoonful of the liquid onto a chilled plate and leave it for a few seconds. Then push the drop of jelly with your fingernail. If it wrinkles your quince jelly will set and can be transferred into the hot jars and sealed. 10) Remove from the heat and use a glass jug to pour the jelly into the hot sterilised jars and seal. To sterilise jam jars place them on a baking tray in an oven at 1400C whilst making the jam.

In Season This Month

Fruits, Nuts & Fungi - Apples, Cranberries, Pears, Quince, Wild Mushrooms Vegetables & Herbs - Artichoke, Beetroot, Butternut Squash, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Chicory, Horseradish, Jerusalem Artichoke, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Parsnips, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Salsify, Shallots, Swede, Truffles, Turnips, Watercress Meat & Game - Beef, Duck, Goose, Grouse, Guinea Fowl, Hare, Lamb, Mallard, Partridge, Pheasant, Rabbit, Turkey, Venison, Wood Pigeon Fish & Shellfish - Clams, Cod, Coley, Crab, Dab, Dover Sole, Gurnard, Haddock, Halibut, Hake, Lemon Sole, lobster, Mackerel, Monkfish, Mussels, Oysters, Plaice, Pollack, Red Mullet, Wild Sea Bass, Sea Bream, Skate, Squid, Turbot, Winkles

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