Tunisian quince preserves

Name: Tunisian quince preserves
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients: 2 lb quinces; 1.5-2 cups of sugar; 4 cups water; Juice of 1 lemon; 4 cinnamon sticks; 1 1- litre jar

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Course
Condiments
Cuisine
Israeli

Tunisian quince preserves

Ethan Patterson

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This sweet preserve is fantastic on dark bread with a bit of margarine, butter, or on top of some lactose-free yogurt (https://immigrantstable.com/2013/11/10/lactose-free-yogurt-or-how-to-reclaim-your-childhood).

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Ingredients

2 lb quinces or about four quinces, washed and scrubbed very well
1.5-2 cups of sugar about 300 grams. I prefer less rather than more sugar in my preserves
4 cups water use 5 cups if you want a runnier jam, or syrup leftovers
Juice of 1 lemon
4 cinnamon sticks
1 1- litre jar or if intended for gifts, four 250-ml jars

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Instructions

Wash the quinces very well, scrubbing the peel with a soapy sponge (quinces can be a bit fuzzy on the outside, and we want to get rid of that fuzz).
Without peeling, halve the quinces and remove the core and seeds (this will require some elbow work). Slice the quinces into 1-inch thick slices, and then cut the larger slices in half. Submerge the quince slices in a big bowl with enough water to cover for several hours, to soften them before cooking. Leaving them overnight is fine, but try to ensure all quinces are submerged as some discolouration may occur.
In large, wide pot, add the sugar, water and lemon juice and cook them over medium heat, until the sugar dissolves. Add the cinnamon sticks and bring to a boil.
Drain the quince slices and add them to the pot. Bring the pot a boil, and cook, uncovered, over medium-high anywhere between one hour (for soft and golden quinces) to 2 ½ hours (for a richer, browner preserve). If you are left with too much liquid, strain some of it and use as a syrup to sweeten soda water or cocktails.
If you’re going the canning route, prepare your jars and lids for canning in the last hour. For the best beginner canning advice, I go to Marisa McClellan of Food in Jars (https://foodinjars.com/2013/07/new-to-canning-start-here-boiling-water-bath-canning).
Once your preserve is ready, fill the jars, taking care to leave an inch of headspace for vacuum to be created. Cover your jars, screwing the lid on very lightly, with just the tips of your fingers, and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes (again, follow Marisa’s advice for proper canning rules and guidelines).

Notes

This recipe is more of a guideline. Feel free to play with the flavours, adding some vanilla stems to the mix, fresh thyme, or more water to set aside for extra syrup. Or just make it as written, and you won’t be disappointed.If you end up having too much liquid in your pot, strain your quinces and set some of the syrup aside. It goes beautifully with soda water, or when mixed with a bit of gin and lime for a refreshing cocktail.