Quince essentials

At the weekend I was given 15 kilos of beautiful quince by our lovely friends at Bridgefoot Meadows. After scouring the internet I found lovely recipes for quince jam, Spanish Membrillo (which is a kind of paste cooked in the oven that you can eat with cold meats and cheese), quince gin (definitely doing that!) and preserved quince.

I decided on the jam in the end, but I'm giving it my own little twist with vanilla bean and lemon. It's on the hob at the moment and what a heavenly aroma!

Quince Jam

You will need

1kg prepared (peeled and sliced) quince
Juice of a lemon
Vanilla Bean (pod) - optional
1 litre of water
1.5kg sugar (I use jam/preserving sugar)

Simmer the quince in the water and lemon juice (add the vanilla bean if using) until very soft.
Add the sugar and dissolve slowly
Bring to a rapid boil and test on chilled plates (the jam is ready when a skin forms quickly once cool and when you push the jam with a finger it will wrinkle up).

Pot up in warm sterilised jars and put the lids on immediately.

Crumpets!