They dined on mince and slices of quince, which they ate with a runcible spoon: from the Owl and the Pussycat.
Have you met the quince? You might have come across it in a market and passed it by. It’s yellow, but not yielding like an apple. It looks like a bumpy pear. Raw, it’s inedible. What do you do with it?
The simple answer is: cook it. Quinces under heat become sweet and tender, with a divinely fruity aroma. They cook alongside other ingredients in tajines like this vegetable-based one, but the best-loved way to eat them is as jam. This recipe has all of three ingredients.
You just need an interval when you’ll be at home doing other things – time does most of the work for you.
Quince Jam Recipe
2 pounds of quinces
2 cups of sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
A dash of cinnamon
Peel the quince with a vegetable peeler and put in a large bowl and str to the sugar into the fruit and let sit for about 4 hours.
Cook over low heat about 20 minutes, until the jam thickens. Remove any white foam as it rises.
When thick and jammy-like, take off the heat and stir lemon juice in.
Store in sterilized jars or in clean, dry jars in the refrigerator.
Serve on toast, with cheese on the side. A delicious breakfast or snack. A prefect treat for kids while you read them the much-loved Edward Lear poem the Owl and the Pussycat:
More fresh fruit jams here on Green Prophet:
Author: Miriam Kresh
Miriam Kresh is an American ex-pat living in Israel. Her love of Middle Eastern food evolved from close friendships with enthusiastic Moroccan, Tunisian and Turkish home cooks. She owns too many cookbooks and is always planning the next meal. Miriam can be reached at miriam (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
Lovely recipe for this winter season. This looks really yummy and love to taste it. Like to prepare this.