A fragrant sweetmeat made from quince pulp, which you make in October and can keep till the following Spring. |
For 60 pieces:
|
- Peel and core the quinces, removing any damaged parts, and quarter (avoid small pieces). Take a large piece of muslin, folded in two if necessary, and put in it the seeds and peelings. Tie up with a knot and place in the pan. Add the fruit and cover with water (approx 1.8ltr). Cook covered 15-20 mins after it has come to the boil, checking that the fruit is cooked by plunging a fork into it.
- When the fruit is cooked, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve the cooking liquid to make quince jelly the next day. Put the quinces through a mouli or fruit press and weigh (here 1.3kg). Weigh off ¾ of this weight in sugar (here 1kg).
- Put the sugar in the rinsed pan with 1/3rd of the volume of the sugar (here 30cl), then bring to 135°. This will take about 15 mins from boiling. When the syrup is ready, turn off the heat and incorporate the purée little by little, mixing with a spatula. Mix well and return to a medium heat. Bring back to the boil and cook for 10 mins over a low heat, stirring continuously to avoid the purée sticking. The purée will turn a pretty amber colour and begin to come away from the sides of the pan. Turn off the heat, add the vanilla and mix. The cheese is now ready.
- Turn the cheese into 1 or more large rectangular tins lined with baking parchment to a depth of 2cm. Smooth the surface with a spatula and leave to dry. The surface will form a crust. Cut into lozenges and store in a tin separated by a sheet of baking parchment. If you like, you can roll them in sugar before storing.
See Quince jelly recipe.