By all accounts this Autumn there is a glut of quinces here in Blighty. If you fancy strengthening your arm muscles, half an hour chopping quinces does the job (if there’s a harder fruit or vegetable to cut, I’ve yet to find it).
An array of amber jewels in a jar
Spoon a thin layer of this jelly onto the pastry base of an apple tart or simply serve as an accompaniment to roast pork or game, manchego or stilton cheese or serrano ham.
Admittedly the quantities I give here are generous but I love to make loads of the stuff whilst the quinces are briefly available at this time of year.
3kg quinces – chopped roughly
1 kg apples – chopped roughly
750g lemons
4 litres water
Granulated sugar (see method below for details of how to determine how much sugar you need)
Extract the juice from the lemons and place in a large pan with the water, quinces and apples along with any pips, pulp from the lemons.
Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour or until the fruit is very tender and pulpy.
Strain in a jelly bag overnight. Don’t force it, leave it to drip, drip, drip all by itself to ensure your finished jelly remains clear and not cloudy.
Measure the juice and add 450g of sugar per 600ml of juice. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil until setting point reached (at 105 degrees, saucer/wrinkle test).
Remove any scum from the surface.
Ladle, cover and seal into warm sterilised jars.
