Quince Jelly

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •10-quart (9.5 L) wide heavy stainless-steel or enamelled preserving pot
• •Large heatproof bowl with at least 5-quart (4.7 L) capacity
• •Fine sieve and clean muslin or a jelly bag
• •Long-handled skimmer
• •Kitchen scale
• •Seven 4 fl oz (120 ml) preserving jars with new lids
• •Canning funnel and jar lifter
• •Boiling-water canner or deep stockpot fitted with a rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready jars and muslin

   Wash seven 4 fl oz (120 ml) jars, their new lids, and all utensils thoroughly. Keep the jars hot while you cook so the hot jelly cannot shock the glass. Rinse the muslin or jelly bag in hot water, wring it well, and arrange it over a large heatproof bowl without letting its bottom touch the collected liquid.

   Damp muslin absorbs less of the first precious juice and lies smoothly over the sieve. Avoid fabric washed with scented detergent; the jelly will remember it.
2. 2

   Prepare the quinces

   Quinces are hard even when ripe, so give each one a stable flat side before cutting further. Slice them about ½ inch (1 cm) thick, then peel each slice and remove every pip and hard piece of core. Drop the prepared slices immediately into the cold holding water. Fresh water alone belongs here; no lemon or other flavoring enters this formula.

3. 3

   Simmer without touching

   Drain away the holding water. Put the quince slices into the wide preserving pot with the measured 7 Imperial pints or 16¾ cups (4 L / 4 kg) fresh water. Bring to a steady simmer and cook uncovered for 60 to 75 minutes, until the fruit is thoroughly tender and beginning to collapse. Do not stir, crush, or prod it. The abundant water and untouched cooking draw out the pectin and fragrance without driving pulp into the liquid.

4. 4

   Drain by gravity

   Set a fine sieve over a large bowl. Lift the tender fruit into it carefully, then pour over the remaining liquid and leave everything to drain under its own weight for 60 to 90 minutes. Never press or squeeze. If pulp slips through and the juice looks cloudy, pass it through fresh damp muslin once more and let gravity work; ça se rattrape, provided you stop pressing.

   The last spoonful trapped in the pulp is not worth a cloudy batch. Clarity is bought with restraint, not force.
5. 5

   Dissolve the sugar

   Rinse the preserving pot so no fruit pulp remains, then return all the clear quince juice to it. Add the 3⅜ cups (24 oz / 680 g) white granulated sugar, preserving the book's ratio of 12 oz sugar for each pound of quince. Warm gently, stirring only until every crystal has dissolved and the liquid looks clear. Granulated sugar replaces loaf sugar because the loaf was a convenient form of refined sugar, not a separate flavor.

6. 6

   Boil toward nappe

   Once the sugar is completely dissolved, raise the heat and boil as fiercely as the pan can safely hold. Keep the pot uncovered and skim away pale froth without stirring it back into the jelly. As the water leaves, the bubbles will become slower and more distinct. Lift the skimmer frequently near the finish: at first the jelly falls in quick separate drops, then gathers toward the center and falls slowly in large drops. This is the approach to nappe, the coating stage. Pull the pan from the heat just before those drops become one heavy continuous sheet. A clock cannot decide this because pan width and burner strength decide evaporation. If the jelly has gone ropey before you can strain it, remove it from the heat and stir in boiling water 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 15 g) at a time until it flows freely, then return it to a brief boil. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Strain at once

   Immediately pour the cooked jelly through the prepared damp muslin into the clean heatproof bowl. Let it pass freely without squeezing, twisting, or scraping the cloth. If the muslin clogs, move the jelly to a fresh damp piece rather than forcing it through. Leave the strained jelly undisturbed for 7 to 8 minutes, then lift away any last surface froth with the edge of a clean spoon.

8. 8

   Pot and seal

   Finish according to The Cooking, Potting, and Sealing of Jams (No. 2955), using the safe home equivalent for its treated paper closures. Ladle the hot gelée into the hot jars, leaving ¼ inch (6 mm) headspace. Wipe the rims, apply new two-piece lids fingertip-tight, and process the jars in boiling water covering them by at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) for 10 minutes at sea level, adjusting for altitude according to current local preserving guidance. Cool the jars upright and untouched for 12 to 24 hours, then check the seals. Refrigerate any jar that has not sealed.

Chef Tips

• •Choose quinces that are deeply yellow and powerfully fragrant, with sound flesh beneath any harmless surface fuzz. Very ripe does not mean soft; a ripe quince commonly remains as hard as a turnip.
• •Use the widest heavy stainless-steel or enamelled pot you own, at least 10 quarts (9.5 L). The broad surface lets the juice reach nappe quickly, preserving its perfume and color; a narrow stockpot makes you boil away the evening.
• •Keep the full weight of white sugar. Honey, raw sugar, and reduced sugar change both the flavor and the set, and this particular formula gives no room for pretending otherwise.
• •A clear juice may deepen from pale gold to rose-amber as it boils. That color is natural. Cloudiness is different: it comes from disturbed pulp, careless skimming, or squeezed muslin.
• •Serve the gelée with buttered breakfast bread, a wedge of Comté, blue cheese, pâté, or cold roast meat. It needs no decorative garnish; its clear color is the ornament.

Advance Preparation

• •The jars, lids, muslin, sieve, and canning equipment can be washed and arranged a day ahead. Keep the jars hot only when the final boil begins.
• •The drained quince juice may be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before the sugar is added. Return it to the clean preserving pot and heat it gradually before continuing.
• •Leave the sealed jars undisturbed for 24 to 48 hours before judging the set. If the jelly remains loose, empty it into a clean wide pot, boil it rapidly back to nappe, repot it with new lids, and process it again.
• •Properly processed sealed jars keep in a cool, dark cupboard for up to 12 months for best quality. Refrigerate after opening and use within 1 month.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 155g)