Quince Recipes (candy, preserves, cheese)
While idly flipping through cookbooks, I came across several quince recipes, all for sweets and dessert-type stuff. The websites that Ann shared caused my 'puter to lock up, so I don't know if they're repeats. I do have other recipes around -- quince paste, an apple pie with apples and quince jelly and calvados, other variations on conserves and preserves and Paradise jelly, and so on.
Quince Candy (a Turkish recipe)
6 quinces (very green), 2 or 3 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Peel quinces, cut into thin pieces and put in dish of water with pinch of salt to prevent discoloration. Drain, put quinces into boiling water to cover and cook until soft. remove from boiling water. Cool in strainer under tap water and press through a sieve. For each cup of quince puree, add 1 cup of sugar. Place in large pot and cook over medium heat, stirring continually, until bubbles start bursting. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Pour into a Pyrex dish and allow to set. Cut into diamond-shaped pieces.
Quince Preserves (from The Settlement Cookbook)
Wash, peel, core and cut quinces in 1/2-inch cubes. Add cold water to cover, boil until tender. Drain juice. Weigh fruit. For each pound of fruit use 1 pound of sugar. Boil juice and sugar 5 minutes, add fruit. Boil until fruit is clear and deep red. Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal. [And process in a boiling water bath...]
Following this is a similar recipe that calls for 1 peck quinces, 1/4 peck sweet apples, and 1/2 peck pears. One adds 3/4 pound of sugar per pound of fruit. More details on request.
Baked Quince Preserves (same source)
2-1/2 pounds quinces, wiped, cored, and quartered
1/4 cup water
2 pounds sugar
Pour water into bottom of a large casserole or covered baking dish. Add fruit and sugar in alternate layers, the sugar on top. Cover. Bake 2-3 hours (or more) in a slow oven, 250F, basting 3-4 times with the hot syrup. (It's done when translucent.) Pack in sterilized glasses and seal.
This recipe will also work with crabapples (2-1/2 pounds of larger red crabapples, washed, dried, and with blossom ends removed), or seckel pears (flavored, if desired, with ginger or lemon juice).
Quince Cheese (from Preserving, by Oded Schwartz)
3 lb ripe quinces, washed to remove fluff, and coarsely chopped
~8 cups water or hard cider
2-3 strips of lemon rind
juice of 1/2 lemon
granulated sugar
mild oil, such as almond or peanut, for brushing
superfine sugar for dusting
Put quinces in a saucepan with enough water or cider to cover and add the lemon rind and juice. Bring to a boil, then simmer 30-45 minutes until fruit is very soft.
Press the mixture through a sieve or food mill and return to the cleaned pan. For every 2 cups puree, add 1-1/2 cups sugar. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, 2-1/2 to 3 hours, until the mixture "plops" and is very thick. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Brush a baking sheet or roasting pan with plenty of oil. Pour the cooled cheese onto the sheet and smooth to an even layer 1 to 1-1/2 inches thick. Cool completely, then cover loosely with a clean cloth and leave in a warm, dry place for 24 hours.
Loosen the cheese with a spatula, then turn out onto waxed paper. Cut into squares or diamonds and dust with superfine sugar. Arrange on baking sheets and let dry, loosely covered with baking parchment.
To store, arrange the cheese in layers between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container.
"Translucent, dark amber, and beautifully fragrant." Shelf life 2 years, refrigerated.
--jp