QUINCE PASTE

My quince tree is laden with huge fruit so it's time to dig out the quince paste recipe. Even after three years of making it I still find it difficult to judge when it has cooked enough. I think I need to be more patient and leave it to dry for a month or so. It's difficult to do because it is so delicious I want to tuck into it straight away.

BASIC QUINCE PASTE
5 or 6 quinces
water
sugar.

Prepare a large bowl of water. Add juice of a lemon to prevent discolouration when you add the quartered fruit. Peel and core quinces. Cut the quinces into quarters and place in the water. Set aside.

Place the peel and the cores into a large pan, cover with water and simmer, uncovered for an hour. Strain, squeezing out as much liquid as possible.

Weigh the quince quarters and add to a large heavy bottomed pot. Add the strained liquid and bring to the boil. Simmer, uncovered,  for about an hour, stirring occasionally. When the fruit is soft, place fruit and liquid in a food processor. Puree until smooth.

Return the pureed fruit to the pot and add sugar in a ratio of 3 of fruit to 2 of sugar. Eg, for 600g fruit, add 400g sugar. Simmer slowly for 3 - 5 hours until the paste changes to a dark rose colour and the bottom of the pot is visible when the paste is stirred. It must be very thick.

Pour into an greased tray. The tray size varies depending on the size of the fruit. I use an 18cm x 27cm tray. Leave it to cool overnight. It should be solid but still sticky. (If it isn't, either use it as jam or recook it until it will set.) Turn the slab out onto chux and wrap it up. Place it on a wire rack and keep it in a cool, dark place for a month. When the surface has dried out, the paste is ready to eat.

FLAVOUR IT UP.
 I like to add the juice and peel of a lemon to the pot of cores and peel. I also love to add chopped ginger to the cooked quince mix.