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How to make Quince Jelly





Living in the bush means that I don't have many fruit trees, but from time to time I am lucky enough to get fruit from friend's trees.
One of my favourite has to be quince; it looks so retro and photogenic (ok, I am talking about my dress as well!) and I love quince paste! But this year I decided to make quince jelly, just for a change.





Cut the quinces and remove the pips, add the juice of half a lemon and then place into a pot with a little water. Cook until the quinces are a soft mush. Now you will have to place this 'mass' into a jelly bag or cloth (I use a cotton pillowcase which I bought just to make jellies) and hung it overnight over a bowl to collect the juices. Drip drip drip you will collect some lovely red-orange coloured juice, but do not squeeze the bag, or the jelly will become cloudy!




Measure the juice and add the same amount in sugar. Bring to boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. Test to see if the jelly is setting by picking up a little on a teaspoon: if it hardens when cold then the jelly is ready, otherwise boil it a little longer. Once ready pour into a rectangular container. After a few minutes skin the top (this will have all the 'scum' which rises to the surface and needs to be discarded).
Let the jelly set for a few days, then cut into cubes and serve.





Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©


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Comments

  1. muppyApril 19, 2011 at 10:35 AM

    this looks so cute! there are quince trees at my grandfathers farm but i was never sure what to do with them, i was thinking about a paste.

    ReplyDelete
  2. aipiApril 19, 2011 at 1:35 PM

    A great recipe! So pretty and original.

    US Masala

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nuccio GattoApril 19, 2011 at 4:27 PM

    Buonissima la cotognata, mi piace molto. ottima la tua presentazione, ciao.

    ReplyDelete
  4. LauraApril 19, 2011 at 6:51 PM

    So bright and cheerful... and the quince jelly looks nice too! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Priya SureshApril 19, 2011 at 7:43 PM

    Those jellies looks sooo catchy and marvellous..

    ReplyDelete
  6. SerenaApril 19, 2011 at 8:24 PM

    La cotognata!!! Che bei ricordi!!! Sai cosa... sono incuriosita: cosa vuol dire che vivi nel bush? Proprio in "quel" bush, quello che si vede nel telefilm "Skippy", lontana centinaia di Km dalla casa più vicina? Cioè, tu stai vivendo il mio sogno???

    ReplyDelete
  7. AlessandraApril 19, 2011 at 9:05 PM

    Mi fai ridere Onde perche' Skippy era il nome della mia vecchia honda...

    bush cosi' ma le case sono molto piu' vicine, solo che non si vedono perche' casa mia e' circondata proprio dal bush!

    Penso che si possa definire come 'foresta residenziale' :-)

    ciao
    A.

    ReplyDelete
  8. CathieApril 19, 2011 at 9:41 PM

    nice to visit your beautiful blog Alessandra!
    i love that you also have sparkles sprinkling from the mouse ♥

    ReplyDelete
  9. Rosa's Yummy YumsApril 20, 2011 at 1:04 AM

    i love quinces. Those jellies look so delicious.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  10. FelixApril 20, 2011 at 9:50 AM

    E' bellissima la presentazione di questa cotognata!
    Io mi ricordo che da bambina me la servivano sempre alla meno peggio...

    Un abbraccio Ale :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousNovember 12, 2012 at 5:50 AM

    i've been making this for years. it taste like honey. entered it in our fair but it did not win a ribbon. must have been the head space was not quite right. try dandelion jelly. just pick the flowers in the a.m. trim yellow petals put in freezer bag. continue to pick till you have at least 4 cups petals. check internet for directions. you will be glad you did!

    ReplyDelete

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