I was given a large bag of quinces last week by a generous friend. I have never even seen this fruit before, and was intrigued. They smell incredible - a little like pineapples. And they perfume the whole house! These were windfalls so they were a bit bruised and had to be used up quickly. They are hard and bitter raw, with a bobbly pear-like texture. My jam books didn't mention quince anywhere. So I got Nigella out. How to be a Domestic Goddess to be precise. There were 4 quince recipies there. Good ol' Nigella!
And a sort of cheat's quince jelly. The colour is gorgeous. Apparently under-ripe quinces turn an even more ruby shade when cooked, but these were all pretty ripe so they turned this pretty delicate pinky peach.
There's also quincemeat, but I forgot to take photos, and it's not that pretty!
Whilst I was on a preserving streak, I decided to make the peel for the quincemeat myself as I had plenty lemons and oranges, and I've never tried it before. It seemed like it might be worth trying for christmas presents too.
The uncoated ones got chopped up for the quincemeat, and the sugar coated ones....... well, they haven't lasted long enough to give to anyone! Really tasty though, and pretty easy too, so I think I will do more closer to christmas.
I love the idea that people who don't know me will look at this and think that I'm not the domestically-challenged person that I am!
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