As I mentioned in my previous post about Seville oranges that the original marmalade was in fact made from quinces and not oranges, I thought I would give you a recipe that I have recently used for the stall. It’s a recipe that appears in Eliza Acton’s 1845 book Modern Cookery. It’s an easy recipe that would be a good one to start with if you have never made a sweet preserve as you don’t need to mess about with sugar thermometers and setting points. One of the great things about making preserves with quinces is the glorious colour they go. A relatively brief boil transforms them from a pale apple-yellow to a vibrant orange-coral.
The tricky thing is getting your hands on some quinces they are available from October, but I have recently seen some organic ones in the Manchester organic grocers Unicorn. If your local greengrocer doesn’t have them on their shelves, it is worth asking if they can get them. My grocer was very happy to get me a full tray for just a tenner, so I was very pleased with that.
I have recently found another slightly more complicated version of this recipe but I have not tried it – we’ll have to wait for next autumn for that one!
Eliza Acton’s Quince Marmalade
2kg (4 1/2 lbs) quinces
water
granulated sugar
Wash and scrub any fluff of the quinces, then peel and core them. Place them in a large pan and pour over enough water to almost cover. Turn up the heat and when it begins to boil, turn heat down to a simmer and stew 35-45 minutes until the fruit is soft. Strain and pass fruit through a mouli-legumes.
Put the pulp back in the pan with the strained juice and add 280g sugar for every 500ml juice or, 1 ½ lbs sugar for every pint of juice). Stir and dissolve under low heat then, simmer until it resembles ‘thick porridge’ and begins to leave the side of the pan when you stir it.
Pour the marmalade into sterilised pots. It is very good as a jam on toast, with cheese or as an accompaniment to hot or cold meats.
Mrs Acton never fails to come up with the goods does she? The other one of her preserve recipes is that is an essential for me is her redcurrant jelly where you make it first and strain second. Only a few minutes work and perfect clear jelly every time. Though I do then sieve the pulp and use the results to sharpen and set raspberry jam
I love redcurrants. My mum’s neighbour had a giant bush that would poke out into our garden through the fence. Alas, new neighbours moved in and cut it down. Bad times. A Bramley’s seeding also went…
Venus supermarket on Dickinson road have quinces every autumn. I’m making some quince and blood orange marmalade and quince cheese today.
This quince marmalade is not too far away from quince cheese. It’s funny that you’re doing blood orange curd, as I was planning to make some this week. Great minds think alike…?
I made quince and blood orange marmalade; it worked well. Blood Orange curd sounds nice; have you done it before?
I have not, but will be making it this afternoon. I hve been inventing new fruit curds. Can’t wait for gooseberry season!
Portuguese still make Marmelada from Quinces. Its quite a dark very thick preserve. Goes delightfully as small cubes on toothpicks with matching cubes of blue cheese.
Hi Tony
That sounds very much like a quince comfit recipe I once tried and with blue cheese it must have been delicious!
The Spanish do one called Membrio. Its eaten with Manchago cheese. The recipe in Constance Spry for ‘Quince Cheese’ is essentially the same thing.
I have never heard of Constance Spry! I shall have go and google her right away!
That should say Membrillo.