We picked the remaining quinces off the quince tree today. They are fully ripe and two or three had patches of rot on them so it was time to gather them in. We had another very good crop this year.
Quinces look so attractive on the tree as they turn golden yellow, late in the year. The dark green leaves, which stll hold their colour, make them shine out all the brighter.
Janet has already made quince and ginger jam from earlier pickings. Quince jelly, or membrillo, is to come. Today we had quince and apple crumble which is a tasty mix. Janet lifts crumbles by adding a star anise and orange zest to the fruit and by using oats in the topping. I don't mind if crumble is accompanied by custard or vanilla ice cream but when we have guests there is generally a 50-50 split.
Your quince look perfect. I adore the scent and taste of quince. I like the sound of adding star anise to the fruit in a crumble but my favourite use of quince is an apple and quince cake. I peel, core and chop one quince very small and roast it with two or three chopped unpeeled apples, the juice of a whole lemon (zest it first) and a tbsp of muscovado sugar for about 20 mins. Meanwhile cream 150g sugar and 125g muscovado sugar, beat in three medium eggs, the zest of the whole lemon, fold in the roasted fruit with all the lemony juices, finally fold in 100g flour and 85g of ground almonds, pour into lined tin and bake in a medium oven (I use a fan oven at 160 degrees celcius) until done, about 40 mins for me. Hope your eye is healing well. A couple of years ago I had a torn retina and needed three lots of high-powered lasering to sort it out so I understand a detached retina is much more serious. Thank goodness for modern opthamology and highly skilled surgeons. On another subject, as a wool spinner I am interested in knowing the breed of sheep you keep and what happens to the fleece after shearing? Sarah in Sussex
ReplyDeleteHello Sarah, apologies - I have only just caught up with your comment. Thank you for the recipe and your good wishes regarding my eye. We keep Wiltshire Horn sheep. They are self-shedding so far from ideal for woolly crafters. The wrens make use of them as I sometimes find their neatly woven nests made completely from wool they have collected
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