Quince Apple Ginger Jam: small batch, big flavors

 I have a New Year's resolution, even though the new year is a month away. I vow to show more restraint when making preserves. In other words, more small batches!

It's easy for me to get caught up in larger batches of preserves when I'm looking at a 30 pound box of fruit, but today I'm being more realistic.

It's my gift to those of you who write to me and ask: "I have ONE quince...now what should I do with it?" 

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All Quinces, great and small

This is the time of year when quince are at their finest, be they commercially-grown, like the "Pineapple Quince" in the middle or wild, like the smaller ones.

My neighbor has a little quince bush that's been fruiting for decades. You can smell its sweet blossoms in the spring from 20 feet away, but the scent of the blossoms pale in comparison to the way the diminutive golden quince fruits perfume the chilly air in the months of October and November.

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"Hi, my name is Brook and I like to eat paste..."

Quince paste that's been allowed to jell in individual ring molds.

"...quince paste, that is!"

According to WiseGeek, Quince Paste, also known as Membrillo, is "a thick jam made from the fruit of a quince tree. This richly colored  orange-red jam has a sweet taste and a slightly floral flavor, and it is extremely popular in Southern Europe and the Middle East. Outside of these regions, quince paste can be somewhat harder to obtain, and it may be viewed as a delicacy, with a corresponding high price."

Quince Paste is commonly offered with breakfast, spread on breads. It can also be used to accompany roast meats and other dishes, with its sweet, floral flavor complementing a range of foods. In Spain, quince paste & Manchego cheese is a very popular snack, with some people considering it the national dish of Spain...

Fresh bread, Manchego cheese, quince paste and Marcona almonds.

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Please don't nibble on my Sugared Fruit...

...it looks tasty but it's only for decoration!

For my centerpiece, I used a quince, an orange, an apple, a few limes and Seckel pears, and some cranberries. For this batch I used the whites from 2 eggs and about 1 cup of plain ol' sugar.

This is my first attempt at Sugared Fruit, but it won't be my last. It was easier than I thought it would be, and even though my results weren't perfect, you get the general idea.

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Quince, the Queen of Pectin

Well, I wasn't looking for her, but I was happy I found her just the same. I hardly ever see her around anymore, and so when I do bump into her, it's always a pleasant surprise. I'm talking about my old friend, her Royal Highness, Quince. She is, in my book, the unofficial "Queen of Pectin". 

In the early 80's I had a Quince tree in my yard in Wenatchee, and I don't think I fully appreciated it. That small but mighty tree required little care, yet gave back so much. The heady scent of it's blossoms could best be described as tropical, and every fall it's branches sagged with the weight of it's abundance of healthy fruit.

Every once in awhile now I see a small pile of quince amongst other "exotic fruits" in the produce department at the local QFC and I nearly faint because they are almost always quite expensive. Try $2.99. Each.

If only I had known in the 80's what I know now. But that goes without saying for a lot of reasons.

Quince. Pineapple Quince, to be specific. (As opposed to Apple Quince, which are fuzzy.)

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