Quince

[TeeDee]

I'm being gifted some surplus Quince fruit later on.
I've never made Quince jelly before so I guess that will what I will be doing this weekend.

But - Is there a best way to make Jelly? Anything that can or should be added to it that enhances it?

Anything else one can do with Quince??

All ideas welcome - thanks.

 

[Brizzlebush]

They're really, really good pickled or as membrillo.
Both ideal to make now for your Xmas cheese board.

 

[TeeDee]

They're really, really good pickled or as membrillo.
Both ideal to make now for your Xmas cheese board.

Thanks I will look that up.

 

[Astrochicken]

If you make jelly, you'll likely use muslin to strain out the liquid from the pulp / fibre. My recommendation is that for the jelly to be clear (or close to it), when it comes to straining through the muslin, don't squeeze the bag. Instead, hang the bag of pulp / fibre from a camera tripod with a bowl underneath. Gravity will pull the liquid through over time and whilst you'll lose a little of the liquid you'll get nice clear liquid to jar up.

Quince is quite perfumed so you might not want to add too much rose water as it'll become overpowering, but you can experiment with other flavour options that go well - I did a batch a few years ago and added some almond essence into the liquid which helped balance against the sweetness and perfume.

 

[Buckshot]

We just googled the recipe and it turned out great!
Agree about not squeezing the muslin bag

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Don't throw away the pulp after you've extracted the juice for jelly, as you can make jellied fruits from it.

Also quince slices are delicious (if you like the flavour of quince) in stews like Tajines or simply fried with meat like pork, sausages or merguez.

Oh & a quince placed somewhere in a room makes an excellent air freshener.

 

[TeeDee]

They're really, really good pickled or as membrillo.
Both ideal to make now for your Xmas cheese board.

I'm intrigued enough to give the pickling a go also.

 

[Brizzlebush]

I'm intrigued enough to give the pickling a go also.

I use a Nigel Slater recipe from his Christmas Chronicles book:

500ml red wine vinegar
350g granulated sugar
2 tsp juniper berries
1 tsp coriander seeds
3 Bay leaves
12 black peppercorns
3 quinces
A lemon

Bring everything to a boil to dissolve the sugar.
Peel the quinces, rubbing the cut area with lemon to prevent browning.
Halve them, remove cores.
Lower into pickling liquor and simmer for an hr ish until just soft.
They may need turning to cook evenly.
Check doneness with skewer or sharp knife.