Quince Jelly - An Easy-to-make Gourmet Recipe

2023 Author: Lynn Laird | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 21:10

Is there anything better than making your own jelly at home? Without additives, artificial flavors, coloring or preservatives, you can prepare your own quince jelly! Use only the natural properties of this autumnal fruit to turn it into a perfect ingredient for your breakfast or cheese board! Even if you find the flavor of the fresh quince too acidic and astringent, you must taste it cooked! It's definitely an explosion of flavors that awaken the taste buds! Are you ready to embark on this gourmet adventure? So grab some golden fruit, roll up your sleeves and follow the complete guide we've prepared for you.

Why make quince jelly?

We will start with a little reminder of the benefits of quince. This golden fruit has many benefits for gut health. Super rich in vitamins E, C and B, it will boost your immune system. In addition, the quince contains a large amount of pectin which is in fact a natural gelling agent. This means that you won't need any additives to make a few jars of jelly at home. Are you already convinced? Here are two recipes for jelly and for quince paste + some ideas how to use them.

Easy recipe for delicious quince jelly

To prepare this easy basic recipe for a quince jelly, you will need the following ingredients:

• 1.6 kg of quinces, washed, hulled, cored and quartered (leaving the skin on)
• 1.6 liters of water
• Sugar -75% of the weight of the juice

Equipment:

• 1 large saucepan
• Cheese cloth
• A large stainless steel fine mesh strainer
• Potato masher
• Canning jars (6 jars of 250 g)
• Kitchen thermometer

Preparation:

1. Place the quince pieces in the pot and add water (the water should cover the fruit by about an inch).

2. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, until the quince pieces are tender.

3. Using a potato masher, mash the fruit until you get a slightly runny applesauce. Add water if necessary. If the mash is too thick, you won't get enough juice out of it.

4. Cover the colander with two layers of cheesecloth and strain the quince juice to extract the pulp. You can omit the fabric if you are using a fine mesh strainer.

5. Let the pulp filter for 3 to 4 hours. If you are not getting enough juice from the pulp, you may need to add water to the pulp.

6. Measure how much juice you have. The amount should be around 4 to 5 cups. Pour the filtered quince juice into a heavy-bottomed saucepan on the stove and bring to a boil. Measure and add the sugar. The amount should be just under one cup for each cup of juice or, in other words, 75% by weight of the juice.

7. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved. Insert a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the jelly. While the jelly is cooking, skim the foam that rises to the surface with a spoon.

8. When the temperature rises above the boiling point of water (100 ° C), you will notice that the consistency of the quince jelly begins to change. When the temperature increases with another 3 - 4 degrees, the jelly is ready to be poured into the jars.

Tip: sterilize the jars well before putting the quince jelly in them. There are several ways to do this. You can run them through your dishwasher on a short cycle or place them in a large pot of water on a steaming rack (so they don't touch the bottom of the pot). Bring the water to a boil for 10 minutes. You can also rinse the jars, dry them and place them (without the lid) in a 90 ° C oven for 10 minutes. Sterilize the lids by letting them sit for a few minutes in boiling water.

How to make quince paste?

Preheat the oven to 50˚C with the fan and line 2 sponge cake tins or a large roasting pan with baking paper. Transfer the quince puree (follow the recipe above without separating the pulp from the juice) and spread it evenly. It should be about 3-4 cm thick. Bake until the dough is firm enough to be sliced (6-8 hours depending on the thickness of the mash). Let cool, slice and store in a cool place.

How to use this flavorful product?

Jelly and dough (also called Membrillo) are ideal for making a super delicious toast. You can use them to sweeten your favorite pancakes or to sweeten a charcuterie platter. And at the end, our favorite combination - quince and cheese! You can cut a few slices of your favorite cheese and a few slices of quince jelly to store a “Caprese salad” style aperitif. If you are a super fan of this gourmet wedding, take a look at this cheesecake. Come on, bon appétit to you!

An easy sandwich with cheese and quince jelly

Sources: simplyrecipes.com

fussfreeflavours.com