Quince Jelly

First stage of cooking

1. Cover quince with water:

   In a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot, place quince pieces and add water (if you can see it, add enough water to cover the quince pieces by about 1 inch).

2. Boil quince until soft:

   Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer, cover and cook until quince pieces are tender, 45 minutes to an hour.

3. Puree cooked quince:

   Mash the quinces with a potato masher to a slightly runny applesauce consistency. Add more water if needed. If the porridge is too thick, you won’t get enough juice out of it.

4. Strain the quince juice from the pulp:

   Place a metal strainer over a saucepan. Drape 2 layers of cheesecloth over the screen. (May skip the cheesecloth if you use a fine mesh strainer). Scoop the pulp into the cheesecloth. You may need to set up two screens this way.

   Let the pulp steep for 3 to 4 hours. If you’re not getting enough juice from the pulp, you may need to mix more water into the pulp.

5. Measure the juice and add sugar:

   Measure the amount of juice you have. It should be around 4 to 5 cups. Pour the strained quince juice into a heavy-bottomed saucepan on the stove and bring to a boil. Measure out the sugar – a little less than a cup for each cup of juice. Add sugar to the juice.

Second stage of cooking

1. Bring to a boil:

   Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved so that the sugar does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Insert a candy thermometer to monitor the jelly temperature.

2. lean foam:

   While the jelly is cooking, skim off the foam that comes to the surface with a spoon.

3. Sterilize glasses:

   While the jelly is cooking, sterilize your canning jars. (See canned food section below.)

4. Look for the setpoint:

   As the temperature rises above the boiling point of water (212°F) you will find that the consistency of the jelly/juice begins to change. When the temperature is about 6 to 8 degrees above the boiling point at your elevation (anywhere between 218°F and 220°F at sea level), the jelly is ready to be poured into jars. (Quince has so much pectin that it can set earlier than other jellies.)

   Note that candy thermometers are not always the most reliable indicators of whether or not a jelly is ready. Another way to test is to put 1/2 teaspoon of jelly on a chilled (in the freezer) plate. Allow the jelly to cool for a few seconds, then squeeze it with your fingertip. If it creases, it’s done.

canned goods

1. Sterilize glasses:

   There are several ways to sterilize your canning jars. You can run them through a short cycle in your dishwasher. You can place them in a large (12 quart) pot of water on a steamer rack (so they don’t touch the bottom of the pan) and bring the water to a boil for 10 minutes. Or you can rinse the jars, dry them, and place them in a 200°F oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Sterilize canned lids by placing them in just boiled hot water for a few minutes.

2. Pour jelly into jars and seal:

   Use a large ladle to pour the jelly into the sterilized jars, up to 5/8 inch from the top of the jar. Seal the top with a canning lid and ring. You will hear a popping sound as the jelly jars cool, creating a vacuum seal.

   If you want to use paraffin wax to seal the jars instead of the jar lids, melt some paraffin in a separate small saucepan. Pour enough melted paraffin over the jelly in the jars to add a 1/4 inch layer of wax on top. The paraffin wax will float to the top, cool and harden, forming a seal over the jelly as it cools. Note that this method is no longer supported by current canning experts because sometimes it doesn’t seal perfectly and mold can get in.

Links:

Quince jam here on Simply Recipes