According to the OED, quintessence is the refined essence or extract of a substance. I think quince jelly should be renamed quince-essence. We brought back a bagful of fruit last week from Norfolk, and Bob suggested I made some quince jelly. It can be used as an accompaniment to meat or cheese, a spread for your toast, and as an ingredient in casseroles etc. And it keeps well. So this is a versatile thing, and would make a change from all the crumbles and other quincey puddings. This did seem to make sense. Furthermore, all the recipes I found stressed the ease of preparation - no peeling or coring, just rinse the fruit, chop it up and simmer for a few hours. Then drain overnight, and add sugar to the resulting liquid. Boil up and put it in jars. OK, I can go with that, I thought.
After I'd finished, and put the pulp into the food waste bin, I found a recipe which suggested that if you peeled and cored it first, you could turn the pulp into membrillo paste. Maybe I shall try that next year, if the free quinces are available again.
the one time i made this i lost patience and rammed it through the juicer as i wasnt planning on winning awards , worked a treat but a tad cloudy
ReplyDeleteI can understand the impatience. The slow drip , drip, drip...
DeleteWhat a shame it produced so little. I'd have felt gutted about all the waate. too. I hope that the resultant jelly is delicious though. It's v good with cheese.x
ReplyDeleteI made this several times at the smallholding where we had 2 large Quince trees. As you say such a gorgeous colour and scent.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, next time, you might like to consider making quince jam, instead. I like how you decorated your jars. Very cute!
ReplyDeleteRed gingham is so cheery - especially in these dark days
DeleteMy daughter-in-law asked what I wanted for Xmas while I was flicking through the Lakeland catalogue (all that plastic!).I happened upon the jelly strainer and she duly noted it on her phone so I think I might be the proud owner come December 25th! That's a brilliant tip about the upturned kitchen stool and pillowslip. I'll use that in the meantime. It's a slow process making jelly but one mustn't be tempted to squeeze the fruit through the bag else the jelly will go cloudy.
ReplyDeleteI am glad I used an old [but clean] pillowcase- it is badly stained now.
DeleteQuinces and free. Never see them this way. That was a really lucky find. At one time many years ago Waitrose used to sell them but not anymore. With plums, apples and Quince you can always do Membrillo (slab form) or "cheese" (in a pot or bottle) so no need to waste the pulp. Hope you enjoy. It is just a little something different for the pantry shelf. Take care and keep safe. Pattypan x
ReplyDeleteThanks PP, you keep well too.
DeleteI was thrilled to be given 6lbs of quinces a couple of weeks ago. I haven't got my hands on any for years and I love them. Both my trusty HMSO preserving book and my WI jam recipe book said that, after the first time of cooking the pulp, to put the quince pulp back in the pan with half the amount of water I had used the first time, and cook for another hour. This way, my 6lbs of quinces yielded 9 x 12oz pots of jelly. I keep looking at it because it is such a fantastic colour. I thought of sieving the pulp to get all the useable pulp to make into something else but in the end, my hens had it and loved it. Perhaps you could spot the WI book in the library with the instructions for making a second boiling and therefore more jelly. I am absolutely sure that you will enjoy your jelly though because it is so lovely : )
ReplyDeleteWow, this is really helpful information. Thank you so much! I shall try and find the WI book or the HMSO book. The jelly IS delicious
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