QUINCES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 12, Issue 301, 29 March 1945, Page 22

QUINCES

and jelly and even chutney, as well as being most useful in varying our desserts. Being inclined to be dry, they are especially good when blended with a moist or watery fruit, like tomatoes, some kinds of apple, marrow, or piemelon. Their pungent flavour is specially good with piemelon. UINCES are very plentiful this year; they make excellent jam Quince, Apple and Blackberry Pie This is a delicious combination. Make the pie in a deep dish and have the fruit stewed together and cooled before putting on the crust. You can vary the proportions to make a change in flavour. If you have plenty of time, bake the three fruits in a covered casserole with water nearly covering. Add sugar to taste when nearly cooked. Use part of this casseroled fruit plain with custard; and put a pie-crust on the remainder when cold. Quince Custard Pie Cook sufficient quinces with a little water and the rind of half a lemon to make 2 cups of soft pulp. Take out the rind and add the juice of a whole lemon, beat it all up with half a cup of sugar, the beaten yolks of 2 eggs, and about 1% cup milk. Now fold in the stiffly beaten whites, and add a little vanilla if liked. Line a deep plate with good pastry, pour in the mixture, and bake on hot scone tray. Have the oven hot at first, and reduce the heat when the custard is set, so that the pastry may be well-cooked. ‘Quince and Piemelon Jam Five pounds melon, 3lb. quinces, 61b. sugar, Peel the melon, remove seeds and cut into dice. Sprinkle half the sugar over melon, and leave all night. Next morning boil for 1 hour. Pare, core and cut up quinces and stew till soft in some of the juice from the boiling melon. Then put both together, add the rest of sugar, and boil till it will set when tested. Quince Chutney Six large quinces, 2Ib. apples, IIb. Tipe tomatoes, 4 large onions, 21b. brown sugar, 2oz. salt, loz. ground ginger, 6 chillies, 4% teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1. teaspoon mustard, 1 teaspoon curry powder, lb. seeded raisins. Peel and cut up all ingredients, mix and cover with vinegar (about 3 pints), boil slowly 5 hours. Bottle while hot. Quince Honey Peel, core’ and mince 6 large quinces. Boil peels and cores, strain, and make up to 1 pint with hot water. Make syrup with this pint of liquid and 4lb. sugar, add minced quinces, boil for about 2 hours, or till it will set when tested. Add juice of a lemon, and half a cup of boiling water before taking up. Should be fine red colour. Quince, Tomato and Ginger Jam One pound quinces, 142lb. tomatoes, 214lb. sugar, 2 teaspoons ginger essence. Peel and core quinces; put peels and cores in pan with 1 cup water and let

boil till reduced to about half, Warm the sugar in a meat-dish in the oven. Skin tomatoes, and chop up. Grate the quinces on the carrot-section of the grater. Put all ingredients together, including strained juice from the quince peelings and cores, in the preserving pan, and boil fast for the first half hour, then turn: lower and boil about another hour. Makes a lovely amber jelly. This recipe was worked out by the "Lyall Bay Lady." Quince Conserve (delicious) This is sent from St. Martin’s, Christchurch: Six pounds quinces, 6lb. sugar. Peel and quarter the quinces, place in pan and barely cover with cold water. Cook till soft. Lift fruit into basin, and cover with 1141b. sugar. Set aside for 12 hours. Boil peelings and cores (with the liquid from the quinces that were cooked) for 1 hour, Strain, and add the 4%41b. sugar. Bring to the boil again; add quinces, and boil until the vem jellies-about half an hour. Quince and Tomato Jam Peel and core 21b. quinces, and put through mincer, catching every drop of the rather scanty juice. Skin 3lb. ripe tomatoes. Cut up roughly, and put into preserving pan with the quinces. When hot, add 5lb. sugar, stir till dissolved, then boil until the jam is cooked, and will set when tested on a cold plate. Very nice.