4 delicious ideas to take advantage of quinces

Quinces look and taste like a cross between an apple and a pear. It is a pome fruit that has been almost forgotten, unfortunately, because it is not only healthy, but also it can be prepared in many ways.

In our country They are in season from late September to December. After harvest, they can be stored in a cool place for up to eight weeks.

To consume it, it is necessary to cook the quince, because raw it is rough and bitter. You can process it in many ways and thus preserve the fruits beyond autumn and winter.

1. Quince compote

You can process the quinces into a delicious compote that It goes well with all kinds of desserts, for example waffles or ice cream. The basic quince compote recipe only requires three ingredients: quince, water and sugar, but you can vary it to taste. Quince compote can be kept in jars for a long time.

Ingredients (for 2 jars):

1 kg of quinces500 ml of water250 grams of sugar

Elaboration:

Rub the quinces well with a cloth to remove the white fuzz on the skin that contains bitter substances. Peel the quinces, cut into eighths and remove the skin. Boil the water with the sugar (and any other ingredients, see below). Add Add the quinces to the broth and let everything simmer for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, rinse the mason jars in hot water to sterilize them. Now first put the quince pieces without the broth into the mason jars. Leave some space around the rim. Bring the broth to a boil again and fill the jars with the hot broth to the brim. Wipe the rim and seal the jars.

quince compote it will keep for about a year in a cool, dark place.

Can Easily vary this basic recipe with additional ingredients:

add four tablespoons of powdered ginger to the infusion. Alternatively, you can try a mixture of ginger and cinnamon powder or cinnamon sticks. Cooking a vanilla pod in the quince compote, or replace part of the sugar with the corresponding amount of vanilla sugar.You can replace all or part of the water with apple juice or another juice of your choice. The pomegranate juice gives the quince compote a beautiful reddish color. If necessary, you can reduce the amount of sugar a bit by adding juice.Add four tablespoons of lemon juice and a little zest from an organic lemon to give your quince compote a fresh touch.

2. Quince syrup

Quince syrup can be used to prepare refreshing drinks and refine desserts. Try quince syrup as a topping for ice cream or Christmas cookies, for example.

To turn the quinces into syrup, you only need a few ingredients. However, this requires a few more steps than the quince compote. After you have cooked the quinces, you must first pass the mass through a sieve or strainer before you can boil it again and then bottle it.

Ingredients:

1 kg of ripe quinces 1 liter of water 250 g of whole cane sugar Juice of 1 organic lemon

If you wish, You can round out the flavor of the quince syrup with one or more of the following ingredients:

2-3 pieces of star anise 1 cinnamon stick 1/2 vanilla pod 1 small piece of ginger

Also you will need the following items:

2 pots (or 1 pot and 1 bowl) Cotton cloth or strainer to strain Sterilized bottles to fill

Plan about an hour for preparation of the quince syrup:

Elaboration:

Wash the quinces well, then rub the fuzz off the fruit with a cotton cloth. Cut the quince into quarters and remove the pit. Then cut the fruit into small cubes (you don’t need to peel the quinces to make the syrup). This way, you avoid wasting food and preserve the valuable nutrients found in and just below the shell. You can also cook the seeds, but the syrup will be gelatinous due to the pectin it contains.Put the quinces in a saucepan with the water and bring to a boil.Let them simmer in the water until very soft, about 30 minutes . In the meantime, you can sterilize the bottles if you haven’t already. Now put the cooked quince syrup mixture into a large cotton cloth or fine mesh strainer. Squeeze the quince pieces and collect the juice in a clean saucepan. Add the sugar, lemon juice and any other optional ingredients to the juice. Bring the quince syrup to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes. Pour in the quince syrup warm quince syrup directly into clean bottles, close immediately and allow to cool completely. Store quince syrup in a cool, dark place, for example in the fridge or pantry.

Unopened, quince syrup will keep for several months. Once opened, you should refrigerate the bottle and use it within a few days.

3. Quince juice

You can enjoy the quince juice pure, add water to it, or use it as a base for a Christmas punch. If you want to juice the quinces, the pulp will remain after straining the cooked quince paste.

But you don’t have to throw away this fruit puree. You can use it further and process it into quince jelly, for example. This way you avoid unnecessary food waste. Quince juice will keep good for a year.

Ingredients (for 3 bottles of juice):

3 quinces1 vanilla pod2 liters of waterJuice of one lemon750 g of sugar

during preparation The following kitchen utensils should not be missing:

Pot Kitchen knife Glass bottles If you make quince juice, you should plan about an hour for the entire working time. The quinces should cook for a while before they fall apart.

Elaboration:

Clean quinces well. Rub lint from skin; this will prevent the juice from tasting bitter.Then core the quinces and quarter them.Cut the quarters again into smaller slices.Cut the vanilla pod and scrape out the pulp.Fill a saucepan with water and add the quinces. Make sure they are completely covered by the water. Add the vanilla bean and the scraped vanilla seeds. Finally add the lemon juice to the water. Let the quinces simmer until they start to break down, about 30 to 40 minutes.Line a strainer with a kitchen towel.Pour the quince juice through a strainer and collect the pulp of the fruit.Then boil the drained quince juice again with the sugar until the sugar has completely dissolved. Pour the hot quince juice into glass bottles.

If you store your quince juice in a cool, dark place, It can be kept for up to a year.

4. Sugar-free quince jelly

Especially at Christmas, the fruit is often used to make quince jelly, but the fruit jelly is also a delicious treat during the rest of the year. If you want to do without white industrial sugar, you can also prepare quince jelly with honey. But you have to be patient, since after the preparation, the sweet has to dry for a few days.

Ingredients (for a baking tray):

1.5 kg of quinces250 ml of honey2 lemons1/2 teaspoon of cinnamonWater

Elaboration:

Wash and peel the quinces, and cut them into large pieces.Place them in a large saucepan, cover with water, and cook until just tender, at least 30 minutes.Strain any excess juice; you can use it to make jelly. Mix well until you can no longer see any pieces. Squeeze the lemon juice and add it to the quince puree. Add the honey and cinnamon to the pot and stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer for half an hour. As soon as the dough is viscous you can put it on a baking tray lined with baking paper and smooth it out. Leave the tray at room temperature for a few days so that the quince jelly dries. Flip it over after a few days. As soon as it comes off the baking sheet easily, it is ready and you can cut it into pieces and enjoy it.