Quinces - They make the house smell like a home.
Yes autumn is here, always my favourite time of year, as birthday season is just around the corner and quinces are at the farmers market (or ripening up on a tree near you).
I cannot remember who gave me this recipe it may have been my aunt it may have been my mums friend Gail - either or thank-you it’s lovely and so easy which makes it all the better.
Ingredients:
4 or more Big Quinces
Lots of sugar
Wash the fur off the quinces, but do not peel them.
Put them whole into a pot; add enough water to cover them by about 3cm.
Bring to the boil. Reduce heat medium, cook for about 30 minutes, just until they begin crack open and the peel starts to come away. Remove from the pot and set them aside to cool.
When the quinces are cool enough to handle, peel them, and remove the seeds and cores, I found it easiest to carve the soft flesh away as opposed to cutting them up like apples.
Now weigh the quince flesh, and then mash them up (with a potato masher) or whiz them in a whizzer (thank-you really wonderful boyfriends mum) until smooth.
Transfer flesh to a saucepan, and add the same weight of sugar as fruit, Mix. Cook at a very low heat for about 1 hour, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the mixture blushes red and gets very sticky, and there is no visible liquid left.
Transfer it to a shallow dish (or if you are super cool some really cute jelly mould), and let it cool.
Once cool it should solidify and you can cut it up and portion it up for your true friends.
Its meant to last for up to 2 months in the fridge but I've never had it last that long. I brought stacks of Quinces in my excitement - so if anyone knows any more recipes please don't hesitate to share.
Rhubarb with Strawberry Crumble
Topping:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup of oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon of golden syrup
Zest of one lemon
125g butter
For the filling:
1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1cm pieces
1 punnet of strawberries plus a few extras, hulled, quartered
Juice of one lemon (pinched from the neighbours tree)
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons of custard powder
Nice pinch of salt
1. Heat oven to 150C.
2. Prepare filling: Toss rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt in a deep little pie dish and Mix.
3. Prepare topping: In bowl, sift in flour, baking powder, add sugars and lemon zest and add the melted butter.
4. Cover fruit with topping. Bake until crumble topping is golden and fruit is bubbling beneath, about 30 to 40 minutes.
Let it rest a little and then add some ice-cream or something else even naughtier.
