Spicedquincejam Recipes

EASY QUINCE JAM

Steps:

• Wash jars in hot, soapy water, and rinse well. Then place the jars and lids on a baking sheet in the oven at 220° F to dry. Leave them in the oven until you need them.
• Thoroughly wash the quince under cold running water and scrub well to remove all the fuzz. Don't peel them. The skin of quince is a source of pectin, a natural thickener that facilitates the gelling of jam.
• Meanwhile, prepare a big bowl of acidulated water: squeeze the lemon in the water and leave the halves inside.
• Cut the quinces in half, core them, and cut them in slices using a sharp knife because their skin is very hard. Quince pulp blackens quickly, so as you peel them, place them in the prepared bowl with water and lemon to slow down the oxidation process.
• Next, once all the quince is sliced, remove the slices from the acidulated water and place them in a pot with enough water to cover them. Boil the sliced quince on medium/low until they are soft, about 10-15 minutes.
• Then, once soft, drain them and pass them through a food mill or potato ricer to obtain a puree. The hard parts will stay in the food mill and you will be left with a smooth quince puree.
• Once you have the quince puree, weigh it and calculate 500 g of sugar per kilo of purée obtained (that means the sugar is half the weight of the quince puree).
• Transfer the puree to a dutch oven or a pot with a heavy bottom. Add sugar and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat for 20-30 minutes, or until the jam starts bubbling slowly and it has not yet reached a thick density. It will dense up in the jar. During cooking, remember to stir the jam often with a spatula or a wooden spoon to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
• Ladle or funnel the hot quince jam into the sterilized hot jars leaving 1 cm from the edge. Wipe the rim and seal tight with the lids.
• Label the jars and store them in a cool, dark place. Once opened, keep it sealed in the fridge.

QUINCE JAM

Steps:

• Wash quince under running water, removing the fuzzy outer layer with a soft sponge or fruit brush.
• Heat water and lemon juice to a simmer in a saucepan. Add quince. Bring to a boil and add sugar and cinnamon stick. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until fruit is soft, about 45 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from heat; discard cinnamon stick. Mix in lemon zest. Pass hot mixture through a sieve into a bowl to create a semi-smooth consistency. Allow to cool and thicken before pouring into sealable jars.

SPICED QUINCE JAM

Steps:

• To make the quince juice, wash & wipe off fuzz from quinces, cut off stem & anything remaining at blossom end and cut into eighths. Do not discard the cores or the seeds as they contain a lot of natural pectin. Place in a large pan and cover with water so the pieces float. Bring to a boil and stir. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally (2 hours will do the trick, but I like to let it simmer for 3, so the fruit is very soft).
• Using a fine sieve, strain the "juice" from the pulp. The "juice" can vary from an actual juice to a thin puree - it depends on if the fruit breaks down or not. Press on the fruit with the back of a large spoon to extract all the juice.If some of the pulp squeezes through the sieve and into the juice that's fine. If you get more than the 6 cups needed for this recipe you can freeze it to use later.
• Place two or three small saucers in the freezer. You will use these later to check the set of the jam.
• In a preserving pan, combine the 6 cups quince juice, juice and zest of the orange and the lemon, spices, & sugar. If you don't have a preserving pan, use the widest pan you have. The wider the pan, the more quickly moisture will evaporate from the mixture, and this is what you want when making jelly or jam.
• Bring to a boil and continue cooking on medium-high heat for about 20 minutes, stirring gently. Check the set - it may take up to 40 minutes of simmering over medium high heat for the jelly/jam to reach the set stage - use the cold plate test to check set: take the pot of jam off the heat (if you don't remove the jam from the heat while you check the set, it could over-cook and become rubbery or hard, if the jam is indeed already set) place a drop of the jam mixture on one of the saucers you've kept in the freezer, & place the plate back in the freezer for 1 minute. After 1 minute, take the saucer out of the freezer and nudge the drop of jam with your finger. If it "wrinkles" when you nudge it with your finger it is done. If the jam is not set, continue cooking over medium-high heat, checking the set again every 5 minutes.
• Once the set point is reached, put the jam into jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace; place flat lids and rings on and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

SPICED MUSCADINE JAM

Steps:

• Prepare grapes by cutting partway through the skin and popping the pulp/seed capsule out of the hull. Put pulp into one pot and the hulls into another.
• Simmer the pulp, covered, on low-medium until soft enough to press through sieve or food mill ~ 10 minutes. Add just a little water if necessary to prevent sticking.
• Meanwhile, chop hulls very finely in the food processor and return to their pot. Add just enough water to make it possible to simmer without sticking. Cook slowly, covered, about 10 minutes or until hulls are softened.
• Press pulp through a sieve or food mill to remove seeds. Stir sieved pulp into cooked hulls.
• Place grape puree into a large pot and stir in the spices. Bring to a boil.
• Stir in sugar and return to a boil.
• Simmer, stirring frequently, until the jellying point is reached, 2-3 hours. Timing is approximate and will vary depending on conditions and the amount of natural pectin in the fruit. Check frequently after the first hour.
• Pack into hot, sterilized jars and process for 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

SPICY QUESADILLA SAUCE

Steps:

• Mix mayonnaise, jalapeno peppers, 3 tablespoons of the pickling juice from the peppers, sugar, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt together in a bowl.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours before serving.

SPICED POACHED QUINCE

Steps:

• In a large pot, combine all the ingredients. Bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring several times to dissolve the sugar. Cut a circle of parchment paper just slightly bigger than the opening of your pot. Place the piece of parchment paper on top of the simmering quinces and a small plate on top of the paper to keep the quinces submerged in the syrup. Adjust the heat to keep the quinces simmering but not boiling hard. Simmer for 40 minutes or until the quince halves are easily pierced with a paring knife, but not falling apart. Strain the syrup. Serve the quince halves, warm or at room temperature, in a shallow bowl with some syrup.