Quince Paste Jellies

These little christmas treats are packed full of flavour and goodness. We received such a great response to these this year I thought I’d share the recipe I use.
Fruit pastes are densely packed with fruit you may otherwise be unable to eat raw (like Quince), and even better than this they store up to a year because of the sugar content. Quince pastes may be a bit sweet on their own for some people, but are excellent additions to your christmas cheeseboard or game meats.

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Use baking paper or silicon mats on a tray to ensure you can easily peel off the paste after cooking.

Ingredients

  • 500ml water
  • 2 Tablespoons Lemons Juice
  • 2kg Quinces
  • Sugar (Check method for quantity)

Method

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  • Chop and core the Quinces. Don’t worry about peeling. Coring I found was also very tricky as the cores are larger than apples are, I ended up just roughly hacking away at the middle and getting all the seeds out.
  • Add to a pan of 500ml water and the lemon juice and cook for 30-40 minutes.
  • Cool, then blend with a processor.
  • Press the mixture through a fine sieve to create the puree.
  • Weigh the puree and add the same weight in sugar. (e.g. If the puree weighs 1kg, add 1kg sugar). The sugar is key here to ensuring preservation.
  • Stir the sugar in over a low heat until dissolved and the mixture is thick and coats the spoon (around 45-60 minutes).
  • Spread into trays and spread evenly. Allow to fully cool. Cut into small bite size portions.
  • If the paste “sweats” too much, further reduce the water content by dehydrating.

Store in a cool, dry place preferably in paper or foil tins.

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