achievement unlocked
This seems to be the year of maintenance and catch up. Those things you do every four, seven, or ten years on a house all managed to drift into 2016. Or it feels that way because with two homes, you get a double whammy. But it feels good to tick those things off the list so they aren’t nagging at me throughout the winter. I’ve also been systematically tackling the clutter inside the house. It’s amazing what you can do when your puppy is now an “adult”. With this extended warm spell pushing deeper into fall, we’ve been granted the time to tackle these end of summer tasks that sometimes get kicked to the following year. My parents left for California this weekend and our lives are resuming a routine of work, exercise, and perhaps a hint of a social life.
dinner at jax (boulder) with the folks before they flew to so cal
morning hike with neva who refuses to look at the phone
handed in my mail-in ballot so i could get my sticker
Earlier this month, a care package arrived for me from Seattle. I don’t get care packages that often, but when I do, they are always awesome because my friends and relatives who send care packages are the best kind of care package senders. This box of love came from my friend, Tea, who unlocked the ultimate care package achievement. It contained fresh quince she had picked from a tree (interesting or exotic or fresh food item), a hand-written letter (long lost tradition), a jar of homemade jam (handmade gift), and her latest book (her art). For me, it doesn’t get much better than this.
achievement unlocked: care package mastery
what to do with the quince
Quince are fascinating. They look like a peach-fuzzed cross between an apple and a pear, but the flesh is hard and tastes terrible raw. Once cooked, quince transforms into a divine sweet treat. I’ve gotten my hands on quince a couple of times in the past and made membrillo, but I wanted something simpler. Quince jam is a gooey version of membrillo, but it tastes just as lovely with less work.
sugar, water, quince, lemons
I’ve actually read that several recipes for quince jam make both quince jam AND quince jelly. Jam usually has fruit pulp in it whereas jelly is made from the fruit juice. Quince is naturally high in pectin, so there is plenty to go around. If you want to make jam and jelly, you can strain the liquid from the softened fruit pulp and each component can be processed further with sugar. I didn’t do that (I was short on time), so I went straight for the jam. Grating the quince can be a little messy as I had bits of quince flying all over my kitchen, and don’t fret if your quince turn brown because that will disappear when you cook it.
zest and juice the lemons
slice the quince in half
grate the quince, avoiding the stems and cores
sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, grated quince
Bring the water to a boil in a large cook pot and add the fruit, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Let this cook until the quince has softened. This should take about ten minutes. The water barely covers the quince in the pot. Stir in the sugar while bringing everything to a boil. Keep stirring until the sugar granules have dissolved completely.
adding quince, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the boiling water
stir in the sugar
Reduce the heat a little and let the jam simmer. Stir occasionally to keep the bottom from burning. Nominally it should take 30 to 50 minutes and the quince should turn pink in color. I think my altitude prevented the jam from turning the right color, so I kept cooking until it became pinkish-orange. This made the jam quite thick at room temperature. I suggest cooking the quince jam until it reaches the right consistency rather than the right color. Keep a small plate in the freezer, drop a little blob of jam on it and let it sit in the freezer for a minute, then test for the desired consistency. Once the jam is ready, you can can it or store it in a jar in the refrigerator
cook the jam down
the jam will keep in the refrigerator for months
Quince jam is more versatile than its cousin, membrillo (quince paste), because it not only goes well with cheese or crackers, but it’s great on toast, scones, muffins, oatmeal, or yogurt. The flavor is similar to that of apples and pears, but with floral notes and hints of guava. If you can get fresh quince, I highly recommend making some jam for yourself or as a lovely homemade gift for others. It’s quite special.
nice with some aged manchego
brightens any snack
Quince Jam
[print recipe]
from Simply Recipes
6 cups packed grated quince (rinsed, peel on) from about 2 lbs. of quince
4 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
4 cups granulated sugar
Slice each quince in half and grate around the core and stem until you have 6 cups of packed grated quince. Boil the water in a large pot. Add the grated quince, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the boiling water. When it returns to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the quince has softened (about 10 minutes). Stir the sugar into the quince. Increase the heat to high and bring the quince to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar granules. Reduce the heat to medium-high and let the quince cook uncovered for 30-50 minutes, stirring periodically until thickened to desired consistency (remember, it will be thicker when completely cooled). The jam may turn pink during the cooking process, but if it doesn’t, the taste and consistency of the jam should be fine. Makes 4 cups.
more goodness from the use real butter archives
|
membrillo (quince paste) |
|
tomato jam |
|
fig and brandy jam |
|
spiced plum jam |
October 24th, 2016 at 6:18 am
Lovely. Bakes quince is also amazing. Use some of that on the bottom of an apple tart. Swoon
October 24th, 2016 at 9:01 am
Looks delicious! I just returned from the Austrian countryside with a bottle of quince vinegar. Not exactly sure what to do with it besides making a zippy vinaigrette…perhaps a sauce for duck?!
October 24th, 2016 at 9:11 am
a lovely read….. just passed it along to another gardening friend…
October 24th, 2016 at 9:13 am
You make everything look so beautiful! Of course you have great subject matter…your folks are quite photogenic, Neva looks quite coy, and your voting stance shows how trim and fit you are! What a lovely care package! xo, jill
October 24th, 2016 at 8:35 pm
Nice piece of depression glass. The pattern is Sharon (Cabbage Rose), but I can’t tell if it’s amber or pink. I collect the pink.
October 25th, 2016 at 9:10 am
Neva is quite a handsome pup! Looks a lot like our Lab/Wei.
October 31st, 2016 at 8:48 am
Marissa – mmm, great suggestions! Thank you!
MK – sounds lovely. Perhaps try a gastrique?
maggie – thank you!
Jill – yes, Tara is as thoughtful as she is talented. She is a gem.
Anne – it’s amber :) I picked up this one piece (with a chip on the side) at a thrift store, but it’s so cute. I imagine the pink must be even prettier!
Cheryl – ha ha, I never thought about her as handsome, mostly goofy! ;) But thank you! xo
October 31st, 2016 at 6:56 pm
I found quince! I’m excited! Do you let the fruit ripen? Yours look a little more yellow with more flecks of brown.
This is my year of jam. Have made 6 kinds and will be making this recipe this week.
November 2nd, 2016 at 8:06 am
[…] Quince jam. […]
November 3rd, 2016 at 10:39 am
Jill from Michigan – I have gotten greenish quince in the past and I used them last (or let them ripen longer). For faster ripening, place the green ones in a brown paper bag with an orange (the orange gives off ethylene which helps the fruit to ripen) and set on your counter. That should encourage the quince to ripen. Have fun!!
November 4th, 2016 at 8:34 pm
Made the jam today! The quince ripened on my counter to a lovely yellow color. Gave up on the box grater after half a quince. Quartered like apples, cut out the core and used the grater blade on my Cuisinart. I had 4 large quince and ended up with 8 cups of grated. I increased the water and lemon proportionably but left the sugar at 4 cups as I like my jams with less sugar. It cooked up faster than expected. After 30 minutes it was getting thick. I added 2 more Tbsp. of lemon juice and then used my immersion blender to smooth out the jam. Plenty sweet and very “floral” tasting. Canned 4 8 oz. jars and had an almost full 12oz. jar for the fridge. Ate it tonight with some leftover Monteray Jack cheese. My husband said he’s going to pick up some Manchego cheese tomorrow.
September 17th, 2017 at 1:08 am
What a charming recipe! I made some last year and thought it came from the 18th century Eliza Acton cookbook. My quinces (rather large) came from a shaken tree in Southover Grange (public) gardens in Lewes, East Sussex, UK. Thanks!
September 17th, 2017 at 1:19 am
Erratum… Eliza Acton born just in the 18th century but published in mid 19th century. Just to clarify that I am in the process producing this year’s batch. I am using Tate and Lyle preserving sugar rather than the more usual Demerara sugar for Seville orange marmalade which is my January activity. I use a grater over a bowl and this simplifies matters! Congratulations on the lovely layout of your recipe! Ms Acton would have approved!