Quince Preserves Recipes

Steps:

• Bring quinces, 1/2 cup sugar, and the water to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer gently until quinces are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer quinces to a plate to cool. Reserve cooking liquid.
• Coarsely chop quinces, and return to pot (including seeds, cores, skins). Bring to a boil. Slowly stir in remaining 5 cups sugar and the lemon juice. Cook, stirring, until preserves are thick, orange, and register 220 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 25 minutes. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve; discard solids. Let cool.

Steps:

• Wash the quinces and rub off the gray down that covers them. Cut them in half and cut away the black ends, but do not remove the cores and pips, because these produce the jelly. You will need a large, strong knife and plenty of force to cut them: They are very hard. Put them in a pan with water barely to cover them and the lemon juice. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20-45 minutes, or until they are just tender. The time varies. It depends on the size and degree of maturity of the fruit. Lift them out carefully with a slotted spoon, and when they are cold enough to handle, quarter them, peel them, core them, and cut them into small slices.
• Add sugar to the water left in the pan. Bring to the boil, and simmer until the syrup is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Return the quince pieces to the pan and cook for 20-30 minutes, until they are soft. The syrup keeps them firm. Pour into clean glass jars, and let the jam cool before closing.
• Variation
• For quince cheese, mash the cooked quinces in the pan with a potato masher or a wooden spoon.