Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Quince Jelly






Living in the bush means that I don't have many fruit trees, but from time to time I am lucky enough to get fruit from friend's trees.
One of my favourite has to be quince; it looks so retro and photogenic (ok, I am talking about my dress as well!) and I love quince paste! But this year I decided to make quince jelly, just for a change.




Cut the quinces and remove the pips, add the juice of half a lemon and then place into a pot with a little water. Cook until the quinces are a soft mush. Now you will have to place this 'mass' into a jelly bag or cloth (I use a cotton pillowcase which I bought just to make jellies) and hung it overnight over a bowl to collect the juices. Drip drip drip you will collect some lovely red-orange coloured juice, but do not squeeze the bag, or the jelly will become cloudy!




Measure the juice and add the same amount in sugar. Bring to boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. Test to see if the jelly is setting by picking up a little on a teaspoon: if it hardens when cold then the jelly is ready, otherwise boil it a little longer. Once ready pour into a rectangular container. After a few minutes skin the top (this will have all the 'scum' which rises to the surface and needs to be discarded).
Let the jelly set for a few days, then cut into cubes and serve.




Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

5 comments:

  1. I've never had quince. The juice is a gorgeous color (just like all of your food). I love the shot of the quince with your dress. :)

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  2. I've never had quince either but I've always appreciated it, just because it begins with a q! Your dress looks awesome!

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  3. Cooked quince turns such a lovely color. These look like such pretty little treats.

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  4. Neat! I have about 10 quince bushes that I planted about ten years ago, but they will probably never bare fruit.

    Cool little arrows to serve with. Like miniature tribesman each got a bulls-eye on your quince cubes.

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  5. Quince bushes? I only ever saw quince trees, maybe they are another type, if they don't bear fruit... or maybe they haven't been pruned????

    The arrows are actually Japanese, I love them too :-)

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