The quince is a fruit from a small tree called quince, from the Rosaceae family. This tree usually grows in cold and temperate climates and has its origin in the Caucasus region, in southwestern Asia. It arrived in Spain from Greece and from there it was exported to America.
Curiously, the quince is one of the lowest sugar fruits, but the truth is that most of the time it is usually consumed in the form of ‘quince candy’.
If you are as much a fan of quince jelly as we are, you have come to the right article, since below we are going to tell you how to prepare a delicious homemade quince jelly and how to keep it so that it lasts much longer in the fridge and you can eat it whenever more you want.
But that is not all. Be very attentive because we are also going to give you the keys to know if a quince is ripe and we are going to tell you how to choose the best quinces from the greengrocers and what is their approximate duration before they go bad.
Tricks to know if a quince is ripe and choose the best ones from the fruit shop
- Quince harvesting usually takes place between September and January, that is, during the coldest months. Conclusion? If you want to get good quinces at the fruit shop, it is best to go buy them at this time of year.
- Once you’re at the greengrocer, how do you know if a quince is ripe? Very easy. You will have to look mainly at its color. A bright yellow and gold color is a sign that it is ripe and ready to eat, however a green color would indicate the opposite.
- Another point to consider is the smell. The quince is a fleshy and incredibly aromatic fruit and when ripe it usually gives off an intense and rich smell.
- You can also look at the appearance. When buying quince, you should opt for those that do not have any type of bruise and are soft to the touch. If the quince has some kind of spots on the skin, it means that it is too ripe and it should be consumed immediately (the latter are good if you want to make quince jelly, but you should not wait many days to do so if you do not want to they spoil quickly).
How long does the quince last without spoiling?
- Once harvested, the quince has a lasting capacity of up to three months. The most common thing is to buy them green (unless you want to eat them that same day) and let them mature at room temperature.
- As it is a fruit that you will not be able to buy at any time of the year, what we recommend (if you love it and cannot wait for the next season to eat it) is that you buy a few that are green and keep them in your house. As? You have several options:
- In the fridge: you can wrap them individually in aluminum foil or cling film and store them in the fridge. In this way, they will last without spoiling for approximately three weeks.
- In the freezer: you can resort to freezing them, but for this you will first have to peel them, clean them, cut them and sprinkle them with a little lemon juice so that they do not oxidize.
- And now that you know how to preserve your quinces, you are ready to make the best homemade quince jam in the world. You will lick your fingers with the following recipe, we promise.
Recipe to prepare the best homemade quince jelly in the world
To prepare a delicious homemade quince jelly you will need the following ingredients:
- A kilo of quinces.
- One kilo of sugar (approximately) you can use brown sugar if you prefer.
- Lemon juice (optional).
- A splash of white wine (optional).
Step-by-step preparation:
- Wash and rub the quinces very well under running water.
- Cut them into cubes, removing the seeds and the heart. You don’t need to remove the skin. Next, place them in a pot and cover them with water.
- Bring them to a boil and, from there, let them cook over high heat for at least ten minutes (if you are dealing with quinces that are not quite ripe yet, you will most likely need to cook them a little longer).. The important thing is that you remove them when you see that they are soft enough.
- Drain the water from the pot and place the remaining softened mass in the blender glass. Then, beat until you get a homogeneous puree.
- Once you have this puree, put it in a saucepan and cook it over low heat (a low flame). Add the sugar and stir constantly so it doesn’t stick. Let the sugar mix well with the quince paste. This process should take approximately fifteen minutes.
- Add the lemon juice or a splash of white wine (if you want) and leave it on the heat for two more minutes. What you will achieve by adding the wine or the lemon is subtracting a bit of sweetness from the quince.
- Once the quince is cooked, all you have to do is put it to cool in a mold at room temperature and, once cold, put it in the fridge. Leave it for two or three hours and enjoy!
Other uses of quince in the kitchen
- The quince fruit cannot be eaten on its own as it has a very sour taste and quite a rough texture. The usual thing is to use it to make jams, preserves, compotes or quince jelly and accompany these with other products such as fresh cheese or nuts.
- However, quince jam (although it is the most common and well-known) is not the only option to include this fruit in the kitchen. It can also be used to accompany meat dishes, fish, salads and in pastries to make a multitude of cakes.
- For example, something very typical in Catalonia (Spain) is codony aioli, a product that adapts very well to the low temperatures in the mountains and was created to take advantage of the excessive production of quince. Codony aioli is usually eaten spread on slices of bread or as an accompaniment to meat, fish, rice or pasta.
- Other famous international dishes with quince are the typical tajine of Maghreb cuisine, French cotignac, pastafrolas (a typical tart of Argentine and Uruguayan gastronomy) and English quince paste to make puddings.
Tips for keeping quince jelly longer
- We have talked about how to preserve the quince, but if you have used it to make quince jelly, then you will be interested in knowing how to preserve the latter so that it can last several days and be able to enjoy its exquisite flavor when you most want.
- The quince is characterized because it lasts a long time without altering its flavor and texture. If you keep it properly it can last up to a year. Pay attention to these tips:
- Freeze it: once you make it, cut the quince jelly into pieces (the size you want) and place them in freezer- safe bags. Put the bags in the freezer without forgetting to write down on each of them the date you are saving it. In this way, you will be able to know exactly how long the quince has been in the freezer and, having cut it into pieces, you will be able to consume it little by little as you like.
- Put it in a Tupper in the pantry: put the quince in the Tupper with cling film well attached to keep the air out, put the lid of the Tupper and store it at room temperature in the pantry or in the fridge.