Quinces
Quinces are golden-yellow, pear-shaped fruits related to apples and pears. They are usually too hard and astringent to eat raw, but when cooked they become soft, fragrant and delicious, making them ideal for jams, jellies, crumbles and other desserts.
I planted the quince tree when I moved into the garden and, although it took about ten years to crop for the first time, it was definitely worth waiting for.
The strong flavour can be overpowering on it's own but it pairs beautifully with the much milder flavour of apple in crumbles and tarts.
Use it on its own to make the Spanish quince paste called Membrillo. A softer jelly is a nice accompaniment to pork or game dishes. I don't bother with the orange blossom water in this recipe.
Whatever you do with it, make sure you cut out a wide piece of the core as this can be extremely hard and gritty. It needs to be cooked long and slow to soften up the flesh. I do this in the slow cooker. Then boil up to make syrup, jam or marmalade.
It makes an excellent marmalade substitute:
Peel and core your quinces until you have 1kg of prepared fruit.
Chop it finely until it resembles grated carrot (I use a food processor to do this).
Add a little water in a jam saucepan or slow cooker and cook long and slow for about four hours.
Add 750g of sugar and the juice of a lemon.
Bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Then keep heating until it reaches setting point.
You can test for setting by putting a teaspoonful on a cold plate in the fridge for 10 minutes. If it wrinkles when you run your finger through it, it's set. Or use a jam thermometer.
Pour carefully into warmed, sterilised jars, and put the lids on immediately, making sure they are tight.
