Quince syrup recipe

• Recipes
• Dish type
• Preserves

Nigel Slater's quintessential quince

A friend emails: "Would you like some quinces?" Well of course I would. They have been sitting in an old grey dish on the hall table for a fortnight now, perfuming the room, greeting me in a quiet, fragrant whisper when I come home. It's a soft perfume, rose-like, a little sickly but reminiscent of honey, too. A scent that marks the start of winter cooking like a tomcat marks his territory.

The quince is the fruit of frosty mornings and blackened leaves, keeping in sound condition through the cold months. I sometimes bake a few in a low oven with a glass of Marsala and a thick trickle of maple syrup or honey. They emerge, a good couple of hours after you put them in, a translucent glowing amber. They never fluff up like an apple, but take on the texture of melting fudge. Cream is called for, though only a little.

You cannot hurry a cooking quince. They are ready when they feel like it. I have known them to take half an hour or more to poach to tenderness in a sugar syrup. But the scent of them cooking fills the house with a rich, mellow sweetness, especially if I have used a glass or two of wine in the poaching liquid.

Quinces love a glass or two of something alcoholic and sugary. Even so, a little extra sugar is also needed, and some water, and more than a little patience. Once cooked they will keep in the syrup for a few days. Lower one into a dish of baked rice pudding or eat with thick yogurt for a hedonistic breakfast.

I love the quince's shape, its generous curves and bulges. It is a voluptuous, even magnificent fruit to look at, like a Rubens bottom. (There is one in my dish right now that is the spitting image of his Bacchus.) And yet for all its beauty and generous proportions, the quince must be one of our most underused fruits – I suspect for the simple reason that it is impossible to eat in its raw state.

The quince can be made into a smashing and easily accomplished pickle. I use white wine vinegar, cloves, juniper berries, soft brown sugar and sometimes cinnamon. After a long, slow simmering, the result is something you can pass round with wafer-thin slices of cold roast pork and strips of its crackling, or some pomegranate-pink beef or perhaps with a pork chop or venison steak. I ate it with a lump of rust-coloured Cheshire the other day, and very good it was.

The odd quince secretly added to an apple pie will impart a curious fragrance. Just one is enough to send a subtle perfume throughout the filling. A few chunks in a dish of stewed apple can charm, too, though I tend to put it in first, adding the apple only when the quince is starting to soften.

A box of quinces is hardly something you find down the corner shop. They turn up as soon as the clocks go back, in farmers' markets, Cypriot and Turkish grocers, Middle Eastern stores and occasionally greengrocers. The trees do well in our gardens, especially if your soil is damp, and their blossom is as delicate as a butterfly. And then there is the downy bum-fluff that covers their skin when they are young, like a peach, only heavier. It protects the young fruit. You should wipe it away before you cook them, or you can peel them if you wish.

A quince takes some chopping. They can be hard to slice in half and even worse to core. A heavy kitchen knife is probably best. Even then, caution is needed. And the peel has an annoying habit of sticking to the fruit as you pare it. But once you are in, there is much treasure to play with.

The fruit is best known in the jelly-like guise of membrillo, the thick paste that is served with Spanish cheeses such as Manchego. I use it with any firm cheese, especially those with a dryish texture. Quince paste makes an excellent coating for a roast ham instead of the more traditional marmalade. It lacks the citrus rasp of the marmalade, but a little of the fruity quality that is so flattering with the pink and salty ham. You can make your own by simmering quinces, puréeing them and then boiling the result up with sugar until you have a thick, opaque and fragrantly fruity paste. A job for a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Nutrition information per 100 gr.

Calories

Shows how much energy food releases to our bodies. Daily caloric intake depends mainly on the person’s weight, sex and physical activity level. An average individual needs about 2000 kcal / day.

Fatty Acids

Are essential to give energy to the body while helping to maintain the body temperature. They are divided into saturated "bad" fats and unsaturated "good" fats.

Saturated Fats

Known as "bad" fats are mainly found in animal foods. It is important to check and control on a daily basis the amount you consume.

Carbohydrates

The main source of energy for the body. Great sources are the bread, cereals and pasta. Use complex carbohydrates as they make you feel satiated while they have higher nutritional value.

Sugars

Try to consume sugars from raw foods and limit processed sugar. It is important to check the labels of the products you buy so you can calculate how much you consume daily.

Protein

It is necessary for the muscle growth and helps the cells to function well. You can find it in meat, fish, dairy, eggs, pulses, nuts and seeds.

Fibers

They are mainly found in plant foods and they can help regulate a good bowel movement while maintaining a balanced weight. Aim for at least 25 grams of fiber daily.

A small amount of salt daily is necessary for the body. Be careful though not to overdo it and not to exceed 6 grams of salt daily

Related Video

This is a great recipe that evokes very fond memories of my childhood. It's worth noting that Joyce Goldstein's original recipe does not call for rosemary (not sure where that came from), but it certainly works and complements the recipe perfectly.

I would like to revise my review above. Really, I just had a very mistaken expectation about what this recipe was aiming for. I expected to be able to eat a bowl of this stuff, and it's really more of a preserve-type condiment. I have served it several times with manchego and roasted almonds and it was a BIG favorite with my guests and with my husband. Great flavor. Next winter when I see quinces I will be making it again. I'm giving it 4 forks to counterbalance my premature 2 forks above.

As a Quince novice, I was skeptical that a pre-boil-then-simmer-for-12-hours recipe sounded like something you would do to a fruit you hated. A matter of mistaken expectations? Like someone who really wanted SYRUP or preserves would love this? It ended up REALLY intense and sweet mixing it with yogurt for breakfast was still too sweet for me or my 1-year-old. However, I love the flavors of the cinnamon, rosemary, & quince, and the house smelled great. I've had quince-dairy-product desserts in fancy restaurants, and they seemed pear-like but a little more interesting than that. This turned out redder and more flavorful. Next time I would try a different recipe, or decrease the sugar, and save the original water I boil them in. They seemed edible after the first boil maybe just a little more cooking and skip the syrup idea would make me happy. I'm giving this to friends who run a bed & breakfast so they can think of something creative to do with it.

3 variations on quince jelly

I was hoping to have this video out around Halloween, but… time is fleeting and plans are for fools. Even though quince season is very much over, I hope you’ll enjoy this anyways and keep it in the back of your mind when quince are ripe later in the year.

Video taken from the channel: Michaela Schmid

Directions Step 1 Sterilize 8 (1/2 pint) jars in boiling water for at least 5 minutes, and have new lids ready. Advertisement Step 2 Place the quinces in a large pot, and pour in water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer, Step 3 Store sealed jars. Ingredients 3 1/2 pounds quinces (about 4 large fruits) 7 cups water 3 1/2 cups sugar (granulated).

Quince jelly is a popular clear preserve used over toasts and in baked pastries and cakes. It can be spread and it appears like a jello pudding. Quince paste is a specialty from spain and portugal (and in those language speaking countries), where it is also known as membrillo.

Quince Jelly Carefully lift fruit from syrup and set aside to make Quince Paste. To test whether the syrup is ready to form a jelly, drop a spoonful onto a chilled saucer and allow to cool for a few seconds. The surface should set – push it with your.

The simplest way to prepare quince at home is to poach it. Step 1: Peel, core and quarter 5-6 quince, and place the fruit in a large pot with water (about 7 cups) and a natural sweetener (a mixture of sugar and honey works beautifully). Thus, one of the most traditional ways of eating quince is known as quince jelly or sweet quince.To do this, you will need sugar and the fruit.

Besides eating this jelly alone or with bread, it is also very common to accompany quince jelly with cheese, so you just have to join it with the variety you like to get some tasty cheese with quince.

Spiced Quince Syrup

Ingredients

• 2 medium quinces, about 250g each
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 medium sized lemon, freshly squeezed
• 1 star anise
• 4 cardamom pods, bruised
• 1 cinnamon quill
• 2 cloves
• 2 allspice berries

Equipment: small saucepan, fine strainer, funnel, swing to glass bottle, vegetable peeler

1. In a small pan, toast the star anise, cardamom pods, cinnamon quill, cloves and allspice berries until fragrant. Remove from the heat to prevent further toasting and put aside.
2. To prepare the quince, wash and dry the fruit. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the fruit and reserve the peel. Remove the core and cut the fruit lengthways into thin segments.
3. In a saucepan, bring the sugar and water to the boil. Add the sliced quince, peel, lemon juice and toasted spices.
4. Simmer on very low heat slightly covered for approximately 45 minutes to one hour. The fruit will turn pink in colour and should be easy to pierce with a fork.
5. Leave to cool then remove the fruit which can be consumed or dehydrated.
6. Fine strain the syrup into a swing top bottle and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Quince syrup recipe - Recipes

This replica of a sixteenth century mould was carved by Ivan. Though wooden 'prints' were used for moulding ornamental marchpanes and gingerbreads, they were also utilised for printing decorative patterns on quiddany, cotoniack and Genoa paste, the principal quince confections of the early modern period. The illustration opposite shows a quiddany printed from this mould.

The name quiddany normally referred to a translucent pectin-rich jelly, while other quince confections like Genoa paste were opaque thick marmalades. The Genoa paste above is flavoured with musk and 'struck' with perfumed ragged comfits. It is based on one depicted on Dives's banquet table in Frans Franken's 1603 painting Lazarus and Dives. Cotoniacks, quince marmalades and quiddanies were stored in little round wooden boxes. Pass your cursor over Dives's tazza of Genoa paste below to see some of these boxes.

A printed red quince marmalade garnished with knots of white and red quince paste.

John Murrel's 'Paste of Genoa', a delicious paste made from a mixture of quinces and peaches. It is similar to the modern Spanish pate de membrillo.

Many early modern period cookery and confectionery books give recipes for preserved quinces, either red or white. That in the sweetmeat glass above was made from the recipe opposite fromArchimagirus Anglo-Gallicus. This interesting work was alleged to have been based on a manuscript written by Sir Theodore Turquet de Mayerne (1573-1655). Mayerne was a Swiss physician who served both King Charles I and his queen Henrietta Marie. The attribution of Mayerne as the author of these recipes is almost certainly spurious.

Grated quince infused in brandy for a couple of months makes a delicious cordial water called Ratafia of Quinces. This really is one of the best flavoured liqueurs of all time and is easy to make. It works extremely well, though a fruit press does help. The recipe quoted here is that of Vincent La Chapelle, master cook to the Duke of Chesterfield in the 1730s. La Chapelle first wrote The Modern Cook, in English while in Chesterfield's employment. A French edition was published in 1735. It is one of the great eighteenth century classics and had a strong influence on upper class food in England. To some degree, La Chapelle borrowed some of his recipes from his predecessor Massialot, who composed a book on court cookery and confectionery in 1692. Massialot included a recipe for a ratafia flavoured with the juice of muscatel grapes and orangeflower water which is still made in some villages in Champagne and Burgundy.

Taffety Tarts Quince marmalade or sliced quinces were added to apple pies and taffety tarts to improve their flavour. The taffety tart filling illustrated above also contains preserved orange.Taffety tarts borrowed their name from the textile material called taffety, but why this was the case is not understood. A more elaborate taffety called tuff-taffety was popular for making hats in the Tudor period. Hannah Wooley, the seventeenth century writer on domestic matters gives a recipe for a tuff-taffity cream, which is a smooth frothy cream garnished with red current jelly.

Another favourite quince flavoured pastry dish of the seventeenth century well worth reviving is the Trotter Tart. Robert May's 1660 recipe is given in the opposite column.

Boil your Quinces in Water, sweetened with Sugar, till they be soft, then skin them and take out the Cores after that boil the Water with a little more Sugar, Cloves, Cinnamon and Lemon peel till it becomes of the thickness of a Syrup when cold lay your Quinces in Halves or Quarters, scattering Sugar between each Layer put a pint of the Syrup, or more according to the Biggness of your Pye or Tart, make the Coffin round with close or cut Covers, and bake it pretty well. And thus you may do with Pippins and Pearmains, or with Winter-Fruit, and also with green Codlings.

From - The Whole Duty of a Woman. London: 1707

The title-page of The Whole Duty of a Woman (London: 1707) from which the quince tart recipe above is quoted.

Sir Hugh Platt's Quidini of Quinces

Take the kernells out of eight great Quinces, and boile them in a quart of spring water, till it come to a pinte, then put into it a quarter of a pinte of Rosewater, and one pound of fine Sugar, and so let it boile till you see it come to bee of a deepe colour: then take a drop, and drop it on the bottome of a sawcer, then let it run through a gelly bagge into a bason, then set it in your bason upon a chafing dish of coles to keep it warm, then take a spoone, and fill your boxes as full as you please, and when they be colde cover them: and if you please to printe it in moldes, you must have moldes made to the bigness of your boxe, and wet your moldes with Rosewater, and so let it run into your mold, and when it is colde turne it off into your boxes. If you wette your moldes with water, your gelly will fall out of them.

Sir Hugh Platt Delights for Ladies (London: 1600)

QUINCE PASTE

Let your quinces be full ripe, boil them till they are quite tender, drain and sift them as usual reduce the marmalade (on the fire) to a paste-consistence, stirring continually, accord­ing to the quantity of quince-marmalade refine a pound of sugar to three quarters of quinces mix them together on a very flow fire without boiling, put it into what form you please directly, and dry as usual.

To make the paste of a fine red, bake the quinces in the oven a long while, then peel and sift them in a strong hair-sieve dry the marmalade over a slow fire a little while, to about half the consistency of a paste then to redden it the more, keep it a good while on a slow ashes-fire, stirring some time and to add to this redness, put a little steeped cochineal, and reduce it on a flow fire, to a thick paste that is, when it loosens from the Pan put as much sugar as marmalade, or paste, soak it a little while on the fire and let it cool, just enough to work it well with the hands, and finish directly as usual.

From Borella, The Court and Country Confectioner (London: 1770)

Medieval English cookery texts give recipes for sweet fruit pastes called chardequince and chardewarden, made from quinces and pears (wardens). However, these were thickened with eggs and were probably designed for immediate consumption. Although true preserves of quinces were imported into England from the Mediterranean, they don't seem to have been made here at home until the sixteenth century. They were shipped from Portugal, Genoa, Spain and France and were variously known as marmalades (from the Portugeuse marmelo - quince). Other names were cotoniack, quiddany and diasetonia. The last was a term used by the London apothecaries, who prescribed these sweet pastes and jellies for helping the digestion. This was the reason why quince pastes were served after the meal during the banquet course. In 1629, John Parkinson, the Covent Garden based herbarist to James I, wrote,

"There is no fruit growing in this Land that is of so many excellent uses as this, serving as well to make many dishes of meate for the table, as for banquets, and much more for the Physicall vertues".

White and red quince pastes were both popular, the latter sometimes being coloured with barberry juice or cochineal. Quinces were also considered to be an aphrodisiac - probably the reason why seventeenth century London prostitutes were known as marmalade madams.

Boile faire yellow Peare-Quinces tender in their skinnes, and so let them stand vntill the next day, till they be colde, then pare them, and scrape all the pulp from the coare, then take as much pulp of yellow Peaches as the pulp of Quinces doth weigh, and dry it vpon a little chafingdish of coales, alwaies stirring it, then boile these pulps in double refined Sugar, and so let it boile, always stirring it vntill it come to a candie height, with as much Rosewater as will melt that Sugar, and put in your pulps, alway stirring it in the boiling, vntill it come from the bottome of the Posnet, then fashion it vpon a pie plate, or a sheete of glasse, some like leaues, some like halfe fruits, and some you may print with moulds, set them into a warme Ouen after the bread is drawne, or into a Stoue, the next day you may turne them, and when the stuffe is through dry, you may box it, and keepe it for all the yeere, but be sure it be through dried before you lay it vp in store.

From John Murrel, A Daily Exercise for Ladies and Gentlewomen, (London: 1617)

Take Quinces and weigh them, core and pare them, then take for every pound of Quinces a pound of Sugar then take Quinces and grate them and strain them for every pound half a pint as the juyce of the Quinces, and half a pint of fair water the water, and sugar, and syrrop must be first boyled and clean skimmed, then put in your Quinces and turn them still to keep the colour of them: then let them boyl so till the Quinces be tender, they must seethe very softly, for fear of breaking and ever as the scumme ariseth, you must take it off with a feather.

From Archimagirus Anglo-Gallicus Or, Excellent & Approved Receipts and Experiments in Cookery, (London: 1658)

You must have some Quinces, and rasp them with a Grater all being grated, you must have a Piece of strong Cloth, put in a small handful, and squeese it with all your Might, that the Juice may come from it when all is squeesed and you have all the Juice, put it in a Preserving pan, let it take just one single Boiling, and let it cool being cooled, measure two Quarts of Juice and two Quarts of Brandy, Measure by Measure, and clarify some Sugar to each two Quarts, ten Ounces of Sugar, a Piece of Cinnamon, four Cloves, and three or four Grains of white Pepper whole stop up your Jug very close, put it aside for two or three Months, put it through a Straining-bag, until it come very clear, and put it up in Bottles flopped very close.

A ratafia was an infused alcoholic cordial water which was produced without distillation. The classic flavour was made from the kernels of apricot or cherry stones. As a result, the English sometimes called these drinks 'kernel waters'. Ratafia made from peach kernels was called persico, while that from bitter almonds was known as noyeau. They all have a sweet marzipan flavour like the Italian liqueur amaretto, which is in fact a ratafia. The crushed kernels were infused in brandy or aqua vitae for a couple of months before being filtered out and sweetened. There is a danger in trying to replicate these drinks, because the stones of these fruits all produce a small amount of cyanide when soaked in water! Be warned. It is much safer to make quince ratafia from La Chapelle's recipe.

Come buy my greens and flowers fine, your houses to adorn
My butcher knives to please your wives and bravely cut your corn
Ripe strawberries here I have to sell with taffety tarts, and pies
My brooms to sell will please you well if you will believe your eyes

Recipe: Poached quinces

Poached quinces can be treated like stewed apples or pears and added to crumbles, spice cakes, pies and pastries – quince tarte Tatin is especially lush. More simply, the chopped fruit can be stirred into porridge or yoghurt. Middle Eastern cuisine uses it as an accompaniment to cooked meats. The leftover poaching syrup from this recipe can be mixed into club soda for a delicious pink soft drink.

POACHED QUINCES

Ingredients
4 cups water
2.5kg white sugar
About 2.5kg peeled, cored quinces, roughly quartered
2 lemons, juiced

Method
Pour water and sugar into a large saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Turn down to low, add quinces and lemon juice and cook at a bare simmer for at least 2 hours.

Turn the quince pieces occasionally if they are not fully covered. They are done when they are tender and pink – their colour will deepen on standing.

Quince Syrup Quintessentially Quince

Several years ago, I received an email from a friend, who had a friend who was giving away 40 pounds of quince. I didn’t even know what quince was back then, but I figured I could preserve it easily enough. I sent an email to this woman I’d never met. Within hours, I found myself driving to Ballard. I rang her bell, she invited me in, we had some tea and I walked away with over ten pounds of quince. Better still, I made a new friend.

Every year since, Elaine has emailed me to let me know when her father’s quince tree ripens. I drive to her place, chat about food (last year’s topic du jour—kimchi), and walk away heady with a huge bag of fragrant yellow fruit. Quince is beautiful when poached, roasted or baked but it absolutely shines as a thin syrup or thick paste, and the pulp that cooks into membrillo is a natural byproduct of making the syrup. While the recipes take some time, starting with a large quantity (in this case five pounds) will keep your pantry stocked in quince.

Quince Syrup
Makes about 2 pints | start to finish: 3 hours

The flavor of this syrup offers a hint of the floral fragrance that makes quince so appealing. This syrup can be made as thin or as thick as you like. Thinner syrup will take less time, and is best for adding to cocktails or soaking a sponge cake or other dessert. You can also choose not to reduce the liquid at all, and drink it as a refreshing beverage on its own.

10 cups water
Juice from one lemon
5 pounds quince, thoroughly scrubbed clean of hair, stems and blossom ends removed

Fill a large pot with both water and lemon juice. Quarter quinces and immediately place into water. When all the quince is cut and added, the water should just cover the fruit. If needed, add more water to cover. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the fruit is cooked all the way through and can be easily pierced with a knife, but is not yet falling apart, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Strain fruit from cooking liquid, and set the fruit pulp aside. Using a fine mesh strainer (or cheesecloth-lined colander) filter the cooking liquid to strain out any remaining fruit fibers.
Place the strained cooking liquid in a clean pot and set over medium-high heat. Reduce the syrup by about half or until desired consistency is reached. For a medium-body syrup, this will take about 45 minutes to an hour.

Prepare pint jars for canning. Add quince syrup to the jars. Using a damp clean towel, wipe the rims of the jars and place the lids and rings on the jars. Process in a water bath for 10 minutes. Remove the jars with tongs and let them cool on the counter. When the syrup is cool, check for proper seals and label with date and contents. Store in a cool, dark cupboard until ready to use, for up to a year. Once opened, store in the fridge.

washed jars • water bath
Quince Paste
Makes 4 thin loaves | start to finish: 12 hours

Quince paste is also known as membrillo, and it’s commonly cut into squares and served alongside cheese. The paste is made from the fruit pulp reserved from making the syrup, requiring only some additional sugar. Note that you will need to commit some time to this project. Cooking the fruit down to a paste can take well over an hour and then it must be dried in an oven. Be patient and know that the effort will be handsomely rewarded.

Reserved pulp from 5 pounds cooked quince, about 8 cups
4 to 5 cups sugar

Place the cooked quince pulp in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Push the puree through a fine mesh strainer. Measure the puree and pour it into a large, heavy pot. For every cup of puree, stir in 1/2 cup of sugar. Set over medium low heat and cook, stirring regularly, until quite thick and paste-like, between 1 and 2 hours. It may stick to the pot as it thickens, so adjust the heat lower as needed. The paste is done when a small spoonful is placed on a plate and no liquid separates out.
While the pulp is cooking, prepare a pan for drying out the paste. You may use a shallow high-walled cookie sheet (such as a half sheet pan or jelly roll pan) or a smaller, deeper glass baking dish (about 11″ x 7″) depending on how thick you would like your sliced paste to be. Just make sure you dish is no deeper than two inches otherwise the paste will not dry sufficiently in the center. Rub the entire surface with a thin layer of vegetable oil and line with a layer of lightly-oiled parchment paper. Set aside.

Turn oven to 140 degrees or the lowest setting it will allow. Pour the quince paste into your prepared baking pan and bake for 3 hours. Turn off the oven, and leave the paste inside overnight. In the morning, cut a small piece of quince paste to see if it is dried throughout. If still loose and jam-like in the middle, you may need to continue drying in the oven for a few hours more. When the paste is dried through, turn it out from the pan, remove the parchment paper and cut into four to six small loaves for easy storage. Wrap each paste loaf in fresh parchment paper before storing in the fridge, where it will keep for several months.

To Poach Quince

1. Cut the quince into quarters–cutting out the core–and then cut the quince into wedges or slices or chop as befits your recipe or final use (you can leave them in quarters if you like).
2. Put the quince in a pot with enough water to cover all of the pieces. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar for each cup of water you add. Throw in a cinnamon stick, if that sounds good, for extra flavor and if it matches your final recipe (whole cloves, cardamom pods, and allspice are other tasty spices to add that will flavor the quince nicely).
3. Bring the liquid just to a boil, stirring a bit as it heats to help the sugar dissolve. Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer until the quince is completely tender, about an hour. If you want to eat the plain poached quince (with ice cream, for example), cook them a bit longer so they can be cut with a spoon.
4. Let the quince and the poaching liquid cool to room temperature. Use in a recipe or store, covered and chilled, for up to a week.

Note: If you want the syrup to be a bit thicker, remove the quince and boil the syrup until it reduces about a quarter to a third and thickens a bit. You can store the quince and syrup separately, but the quince will last longer in the syrup.

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