Quince & Apple Jelly Preserve

In July this year I posted about my little quince shrub , wondering how much crop it would yield this year? It produced approx 450g (1 lb) of beautiful fragrant fruit, now I pondered on how to make the most of them! I had mused on possibilities of baking an apple pie and adding slices of quince, but I wanted to savour the flavours of these beautiful fruits a little longer. Perseveres rang a bell here having enjoyed my friend Maureen’s Apple Jelly so much, I thought I’d try her recipe with added quince.

Oh my, taste of this jelly is soooo good not to mention its gorgeous colour! It’s sweet with a little tartness and a slight background hint of rose. The preserve is very easy to make, leaving the jelly bag and its contents to drip overnight before going onto the final stage of making the jelly. Mmmmmm cooks treat of toast and jelly for breakfast tomorrow :)

Quince & Apple Jelly Recipe

Ingredients
450g (1 lb) Quinces
450g (1 lb) Cooking apples
600ml (1 pint) Cold water
450g (1 lb) White sugar per 600ml (1 pint) juice
Juice of 2 lemons

Method

Chop the quinces and apples, skin, seeds and all and place in a large heavy based saucepan. Add the cold water to cover and bring to a simmer (cover the pan with a lid as you don’t want to loose to much liquid). Simmer until it is pulpy. Strain in a jelly bag (never squeeze the bag or the jelly will be cloudy) Leave it to drip.

Measure the juice and return to a large clean saucepan and add the lemon juice. Heat the juice, add the sugar and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, and boil rapidly. You will see the rather cloudy juice change to a gorgeous colour. Carry on boiling until setting point is reached - 105°C skim if necessary and ladle into hot dry sterilised bottles. Seal immediately. Store in a cool dark place, once opened it must be stored in the fridge.

Quantity: 450g (1 lb) sugar should make 750g 1 2/3 lb Jelly900g (2 lb) sugar should make 1.5kg (3 1/3 lb) Jelly