QUINCE JELLY

I used the last of my quince harvest to make quince jelly . I chopped 2 kg of unpeeled , uncored quinces ( 6 large quinces ), in a large saucepan with 7 cups of water . Bring this to the boil , then reduce the heat , simmer , covered , for about an hour or until the quince is soft . Strain the mixture through fine cloth over a colander ; let stand overnight . allow the liquid to drip through the cloth slowly . DO NOT SQUEEZE THE CLOTH and discard the pulp . Measure the quince liquid , allow 1 cup of castor sugar (220 gm ) for each cup of quince liquid . Place the quince liquid and sugar in a large saucepan , stir over heat without boiling, ubntil the sugar dissolves . Stir in 125ml of lemon juice , leave uncovered and slowly bring to the boil without stirring for 25 minutes or until jelly sets. Pour into hot sterilised jars and seal immediately .

SPICED QUINCE

I served this as a starter last night , it was delicious . Dissolve 1 dsp of honey in a large saucepan with 120 gm of brown sugar 750 ml of water . Add 4 quinces peeled , cored and quartered , 1 vanilla pod , cut into 4 , 1 tsp of ground cinnamon ,the zest of 1 lemon and 4 whole cloves . Cover the pot . Bring this mixture to a slow simmer and ok gently for 2 hours . Pan-fry 8 slices of pancetta until crispy then resting them on paper towelling to remove excess fat . Serve the strained quinces on a large plate in the centre of the table with the crispy pancetta slices .

QUINCE AND HONEY PIE

Peel , core and chop 1.5 kg of quinces . Place the chopped quinces in a large saucepan along with 1/2 cup of honey , 1 and 1/2 cups of water , pinch of salt . Now cover the pot and bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer till the quinces are tender . Stir once or twice very carefully to avoid breaking the fruit . Now strain off the liquid by pouring the cooked quince in a strainer , reserving the cooking liquid . Set the fruit aside to cool . preheat your oven to 160 deg C . I used a frozen uncooked pastry shell , which I pricked the surface with a skewer and then blind baked the shell in the preheated oven for 15 minutes . Using a small bowl , combine 3/4 cup of castor sugar with 1/2 tsp of cinnamon , 1/2 tsp of salt , 3 tbs of plain flour , mix well . Add this mixture to the reserved quince cooking liquid along with 3 tbs of margarine/butter in a saucepan and bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer , stirring constantly until the sauce thickens . Allow the sauce to cool . Remove the cooked shells from the oven and cool slightly , then I filled the shell with the cooled quince fruit and poured over the sauce . Continue to bake until the juices are bubbling and the crust is golden brown . Cool for 2 hours on a cooling rack then place in the refrigerator to cool completely . Serve with whipped cream and or custard .

QUINCES

I have spent the weekend chopping , peeling and cooking quinces . My tree was a gift from my son Paul 3 years ago . Last year the fruit was sparce but this year the quince fruit was in abundance . Quinces look like oversized pears and are ripe for harvesting in late summer . Quince have a tart flavour and are not eaten raw , but make for great preserves , jellies and desserts when cooked with sugar . Quince is rich in pectin and can be made into a beautiful deep pink jelly . This year I have prepared quince pies , spiced quince and quince jelly . Recipes following .

VEGETABLES WITH BROCCOLI LEMON SAUCE

Place 5 small red potatoes quartered in the steamer saucepan, cover and steam potatoes over boiling water till tender . Add 2 cups of brocoli florets and 1 large red capsicum cut into slices and continue steaming until tender . Meanwhile in a medium saucepan combine 440gm can of cream of mushroom soup ,1/2 cup of mayonnaise , 1/4 cup of sliced spring onions , 1 tbs of lemon juice and 1 tsp of thyme . Heat through , stirring occasionally . Serve poured over the vegetables , great with chicken , lamb , beef or pork .

OLIVE OIL

Sometimes the best meal requires you to forget time exists ...... Then there is olive oil , olives start to change flavour within hours of when they are picked ....after all those months of growing . That's why the best oil comes from the first press , and the very best oil is made close to its own trees .

NO CHURN HONEYCOMB AND HONEY ICE CREAM .

This is so simple , no whiz bang equipment necessary . Roughly chop 200gm of choc coated honeycomb , now add 600ml of cream and 2 x 395 gm cans of condensed milk in a bowl and stir to combine . Pour the mixtuire into a sealed container ( 2-3 litre ). Finally swirl a drizzle of honey on top and swirl through with a fork . Seal and freeze for 6 hours .