I was watching food historian Ivan Day make an apple and quince tart on a television cookery programme the other day. Instead of fresh quinces, he used a preserve, the idea being that our ancestors would use it to add the fruit’s flavour long after its harvest season had passed.
It’s a notion that still holds good today. Quince flesh breaks down during freezing and won’t hold its shape in subsequent cooking. I’ve used a frozen, sweetened quince purée successfully in pies and tarts in the past but I liked the idea of chunks of preserved fruit with added jammy sweetness.
I have no idea how Ivan Day made his but this is what I came up with. I was aiming for a flavour that evoked medieval recipes so I included cinnamon, allspice and cloves. The quantities I’ve used give a lightly-spiced preserve, so add more if you want a stronger flavour or leave them out altogether for a straightforward quince jam.
This bears no resemblance to Ivan Day’s quince preserves but it is delicious beyond words: deep amber in colour with (I think) the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity and suffused with that heavenly quince perfume.
I’ll be trying out a version of the apple pie on Friday – watch this space.
Quince Preserves
6-7 medium quinces
Juice of 2 lemons
Sugar (see recipe)
1 litre of water
For the spice bag:
1/2 stick of cinnamon
6 allspice berries
3 cloves
Method:
Squeeze the juice of one lemon into a bowl big enough the hold the sliced quinces and add a good splash of water. Wash the fluff off the quinces then peel, quarter and core them, reserving the cores. Slice the quince lengthways and toss in the acidulated water. When you’ve done them all, top up the water so the quince slices are covered, to prevent them browning.
Put the cores with a litre of water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Put on a lid at a tilt and simmer for one hour, then strain, reserving the liquid. Most of the pectin is in the cores and this will help your jam to set.
Drain the quince slices and weigh them. Put them in a pan with an equal amount of sugar and quince water (weighing it is easier than doing liquid measures here). So if you have 500g of quince, use 500g each of sugar and quince water. Add the spice bag and the juice of the second lemon.
Cook until reddened and jammy
Bring to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the quince is soft and has reddened and the jam is at setting point. Larger quantities may take longer.
To test this, put a spoonful on a chilled saucer and if after a few minutes it wrinkles when you push it with your finger, it’s ready. Ladle into warmed, sterilised jars and seal straight away.
Perfect timing – I still have 3kg of ornamental quinces to use up. I have been pondering an Indian-style chutney but this sounds lovely too, especially the spices. I wonder if there is a way of incorporating the preserve into a treacle-tart-esque creation…dribble…
I was thinking it would make a great filling for a Bakewell tart but I don’t see why not. I’ve used it in an apple pie (coming Friday) and in a sauce for duck. I like it because it retains chunks of fruit – not sure how that would translate to using smaller ornamental quinces, but nothing ventured …:)
Now that we’ve left France, first source your quinces …..
If only we lived closer …
This looks great, I have to see if I can get some quinces from my girlfriend ‘s tree.
Thanks, Gerlinde, I’m on batch no.2 at the moment!
Just. Sounds. Gorgeous. I love the idea of a quince preserve and apple pie. I often shovel into a homemade jam or a curd as a bottom layer under fruit in a pie. Despite all the sugar in the preserves recipes it always seems to just add an additional flavour boost rather than sweetness, so I do use this as a ‘trick’ a lot (along with my scattering of ground almonds, as you know!). I’m expecting to you waxing lyrical over the taste of yours! xxx
Thanks so much, Lynn. I love apple and quince together but the preserve added a different dimension.
Dear Lordy, the colour is wonderful Linda.
Isn’t it? I love the way quinces turn from blondes to redheads!
Such beautiful quinces! We don’t ever see them here. They always remind me of France.
Thank you, we’re lucky that our tree is such a good cropper. xx
Linda, I have checked out Pams book for membrillo and also noted your little pots – how do you cover and store please, and, ideas if not enough little pots! Many thanks
Hi Gill, for membrillo I use mainly small lidded plastic pots and fill to a depth of about 4-5 cm. I lightly oil the pots first with something neutral, then once the membrillo is cold I cover the top with a piece of greaseproof, put the lid on and store in the fridge. You could probably store it somewhere cold like a pantry but I prefer not to chance it. I also use small jelly and chocolate moulds, and those white things in my Insta pic are little leaf-shaped dip dishes. Whatever works for you! The only thing I’d say is that if you use a shallow mould like that, eat those first, because they dry out faster and the membrillo can go crystalline like old jam. Hope this helps, sorry to be so long-winded! Lx
PS if you use a dish that doesn’t have a lid, wrap very thoroughly in cling film. xx