Quince Marmalade

In her 1960 book, French Provincial Cooking, Elizabeth David writes “It was from marmelo, the Portuguese name for quince, that the word marmalade came into the French and English language.”

Quinces make a superb preserve and most of my family prefer it over Seville orange marmalade.

Ingredients 6 good sized quinces. Sugar.

Rub the brown fur off the quince skin with a cloth or a new stainless steel scourer.

Place the quinces in a large stainless steel boiler and cover well with water.

Bring to a boil and then simmer until the skin of the quinces starts to crack.

Don’t overcook them. Let the quinces cool and remove the skin, slice the flesh off the core, and put the skin and core back into the water and simmer until the liquid turns to golden amber.

Strain through a muslin cloth.

Cut the quince flesh into small dice.

Wash the boiler and pour the strained liquid back.

Weigh the diced quinces and add an equivalent amount of sugar and add to the liquid.

Bring to a boil and simmer until setting point is reached. Bottle into sterilised jars and seal.