We have a good crop of quinces this year… our lives are so hectic at the moment with lovely but busy things, I think once again my idea of making quince wine will have to be postponed.
Quinces make a lovely jam or jelly and are wonderful mixed in with apples in a fruit pie – they give a lovely colour to the fruit and a different, perfumey taste… delicious and subtle. I have come across a recipe which makes a spread almost like a curd or a cheese – cheese in the sense of lemon cheese, not as in Cheddar!
- 1 lb of peeled, cored and chopped quinces (if you can’t be bothered, just chop them into bits, cook them, strain them, pressing pulp through a sieve)
- 4-5 tbsp lemon juice
- 5 oz caster sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 3 oz of chilled butter cut into small pieces
- bring quinces to the boil over and cook gently until they are soft (put a lid on so the kitchen isn’t full of steam)
- drain the quinces and throw away the water (or keep for cooking other fruit) and whizz the fruit in a blender
- Use a bain marie or put the fruit in a bowl over a pan of simmering water and very slowly add the whisked eggs sugar and lemon juice
- keep stirring taking care not to let it go lumpy and cook for about 20 minutes, until the mixture has thickened – however, don’t let the mixture get too hot as it may curdle
- When it is smooth and thick, take it off the heat and gradually add the pieces of cold butter, stirring it until it melts and the curd is all lovely and shiny
- when it is cool put into clean sterilised jars… the recipe says it will keep for up to three days in the fridge, but I think it will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge
Lois Elsden 
oooh yum!
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