Quince Jam Recipes

QUINCE JELLY

Steps:

• Firstly, I wash and chop up enough whole quinces to fill my biggest pan, I don't bother weighing them as I am only interested in the amount of juice I have at the end.
• Pour in enough water to cover and boil until soft, approximately 2 hours.
• Pour the whole mixture into a clean, ironed, pillowcase. I iron on a high heat just before I pour in the mixture.
• Here comes the tricky bit, tie the top of the pillowcase with string and then tie the string to an upturned chair. I place a large bowl or pan, big enough to catch all the drips, underneath and place a cloth over the whole thing to keep the flies off. Leave to drip overnight.
• Measure the amount of fluid you have in the pan next day and add 500g of white granulated sugar for each 600ml of juice.
• Throw in a few lemon scented geranium leaves and the juice of one lemon. Boil until it reaches setting point, I find this by spooning some of the juice onto a cooled plate and looking for the wrinkles on top. Don't worry if you get the setting point wrong and you find your jellys not set the next day, just pop it back into the pan and boil again.
• Remove the geranium leaves and spoon off any scum on the top. Pour the, now beautiful red coloured, liquid into sterilized jars. I sterilize mine by boiling them for 10mins and then once filled with the hot liquid, screw the lids (also boiled with the jars) on tightly. I then turn the jars upside down and leave for about an hour before turning them upright again.
• All done, just remember the jelly tastes better if you can leave it for a few weeks.

QUINCE JAM

Steps:

• Wash quince under running water, removing the fuzzy outer layer with a soft sponge or fruit brush.
• Heat water and lemon juice to a simmer in a saucepan. Add quince. Bring to a boil and add sugar and cinnamon stick. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until fruit is soft, about 45 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from heat; discard cinnamon stick. Mix in lemon zest. Pass hot mixture through a sieve into a bowl to create a semi-smooth consistency. Allow to cool and thicken before pouring into sealable jars.

QUINCE PRESERVES

Steps:

• Bring quinces, 1/2 cup sugar, and the water to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer gently until quinces are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer quinces to a plate to cool. Reserve cooking liquid.
• Coarsely chop quinces, and return to pot (including seeds, cores, skins). Bring to a boil. Slowly stir in remaining 5 cups sugar and the lemon juice. Cook, stirring, until preserves are thick, orange, and register 220 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 25 minutes. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve; discard solids. Let cool.

SPICED QUINCE JAM

Steps:

• To make the quince juice, wash & wipe off fuzz from quinces, cut off stem & anything remaining at blossom end and cut into eighths. Do not discard the cores or the seeds as they contain a lot of natural pectin. Place in a large pan and cover with water so the pieces float. Bring to a boil and stir. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally (2 hours will do the trick, but I like to let it simmer for 3, so the fruit is very soft).
• Using a fine sieve, strain the "juice" from the pulp. The "juice" can vary from an actual juice to a thin puree - it depends on if the fruit breaks down or not. Press on the fruit with the back of a large spoon to extract all the juice.If some of the pulp squeezes through the sieve and into the juice that's fine. If you get more than the 6 cups needed for this recipe you can freeze it to use later.
• Place two or three small saucers in the freezer. You will use these later to check the set of the jam.
• In a preserving pan, combine the 6 cups quince juice, juice and zest of the orange and the lemon, spices, & sugar. If you don't have a preserving pan, use the widest pan you have. The wider the pan, the more quickly moisture will evaporate from the mixture, and this is what you want when making jelly or jam.
• Bring to a boil and continue cooking on medium-high heat for about 20 minutes, stirring gently. Check the set - it may take up to 40 minutes of simmering over medium high heat for the jelly/jam to reach the set stage - use the cold plate test to check set: take the pot of jam off the heat (if you don't remove the jam from the heat while you check the set, it could over-cook and become rubbery or hard, if the jam is indeed already set) place a drop of the jam mixture on one of the saucers you've kept in the freezer, & place the plate back in the freezer for 1 minute. After 1 minute, take the saucer out of the freezer and nudge the drop of jam with your finger. If it "wrinkles" when you nudge it with your finger it is done. If the jam is not set, continue cooking over medium-high heat, checking the set again every 5 minutes.
• Once the set point is reached, put the jam into jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace; place flat lids and rings on and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

EASY QUINCE JAM

Steps:

• Wash jars in hot, soapy water, and rinse well. Then place the jars and lids on a baking sheet in the oven at 220° F to dry. Leave them in the oven until you need them.
• Thoroughly wash the quince under cold running water and scrub well to remove all the fuzz. Don't peel them. The skin of quince is a source of pectin, a natural thickener that facilitates the gelling of jam.
• Meanwhile, prepare a big bowl of acidulated water: squeeze the lemon in the water and leave the halves inside.
• Cut the quinces in half, core them, and cut them in slices using a sharp knife because their skin is very hard. Quince pulp blackens quickly, so as you peel them, place them in the prepared bowl with water and lemon to slow down the oxidation process.
• Next, once all the quince is sliced, remove the slices from the acidulated water and place them in a pot with enough water to cover them. Boil the sliced quince on medium/low until they are soft, about 10-15 minutes.
• Then, once soft, drain them and pass them through a food mill or potato ricer to obtain a puree. The hard parts will stay in the food mill and you will be left with a smooth quince puree.
• Once you have the quince puree, weigh it and calculate 500 g of sugar per kilo of purée obtained (that means the sugar is half the weight of the quince puree).
• Transfer the puree to a dutch oven or a pot with a heavy bottom. Add sugar and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat for 20-30 minutes, or until the jam starts bubbling slowly and it has not yet reached a thick density. It will dense up in the jar. During cooking, remember to stir the jam often with a spatula or a wooden spoon to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
• Ladle or funnel the hot quince jam into the sterilized hot jars leaving 1 cm from the edge. Wipe the rim and seal tight with the lids.
• Label the jars and store them in a cool, dark place. Once opened, keep it sealed in the fridge.