Quinces - what's the big fuss?

The first time you pick up a quince, it's hard to translate the hard fruit with the slightly furry skin into any kind of deliciousness.  If you've been brave enough to take a bit out of a fresh raw quince, you'll know exactly what I mean. 

Ready in autumn, you can use them to make quince jelly, quince paste, stewed quinces and more...

I love a good cheeseboard and I love toast and jam. Not my only two food loves, but definitely up there.

Quince paste is a perfect cheese companion!

Quince paste is a fantastic addition to a cheese board - a sweet treat that complements the cheese on offer, along with a sprinkle of nuts.

Quince jelly as a base for jams from summer fruits

I love jam made from summer berries but they don't have a lot of pectin - te agent that helps james 'gel; and hold together. Meanwhile, quinces have pectin by the bucketload (as do cooking apples) So each year, I make a few jars of jelly and save them until the summer. Then, I make a jam that combines summer fruit, sugar, and quince or apple jelly for the perfect consistency and gorgeous summer flavours. 

The perfect recipe for both quince paste and quince jelly!

A diligent search of the web followed by real-life testing in my very own kitchen led me to this super simple and completely successful recipe for quince paste and quince jelly on the website of New Zealand celebrity chef Annabel Langbein. 

I followed it to the letter and it worked a treat 

Here's a pic of the golden quinces once they've been poached using the recipe above and removed from the pot. These are broken down to make quince paste, and the liquid is the basis of the jelly.