Quince Jelly

Quince jelly is a tasty treat to add to your toast in the morning or to pair with a variety of cheeses such as brie, camembert, or even cheddar. This jelly recipe renders the hard quince fruit into a sugary blood-red delight. It is not difficult to make but it does require time and patience.

• Makes: 1 Litre of jelly (approx 5 lbs of quince)

• Start to table: 9 Hours (or 2 days depending on method you choose)

Ingredients

• 5 lbs of quince fruit chopped

• 700g of sugar per litre of quince liquid produced

• Cheesecloth

Method

Core and chop the quince fruit into quarters and place in a large pot.

Top the pot with water until the quinces are fully submerged and the water just covers the quinces.

Boil the quince until soft, usually 1.5-2 hours.

Turn off the heat and mash the quince well, about the consistency of apple sauce. Let it cool for a bit so it is easier to handle in the next step.

Drape cheesecloth over another pot and strain the liquid from the quince mash through to separate the pulp. Tie up the cheesecloth around a long wooden spoon or dowel and let hang to strain the remainder of the liquid. You can choose to leave it overnight to strain, or if you are like me and don’t have the patience, I prefer to gently squeeze the remaining liquid from the pulp with my hands.

Once the liquid is collected, put it on the stove and bring it to a boil until the liquid sets, usually 1-2hrs (the more liquid, the longer). The liquid will turn from an orange colour to a deep blood-red colour.

Scum will start to form as the liquid boils. Skim the scum off the top of the liquid with a spoon. Give the liquid an occasional stir.

Quince has a naturally high pectin count and will naturally set once it has been boiled to a certain extent.

Check if the jelly has set by pouring a teaspoon of quince liquid onto a cold plate from the freezer. When the liquid no longer runs, it is ready.

Turn off the heat. Pour liquid into sterilized jars.

Can the jars of quince jelly. Here I used the water bath canning method.

Let cool at room temperature.