📋 Perfect quince jam

Quince jam in a preserve jar with the lid opened on the right and a teaspoon tucked all in

Recipe for a simply perfect quince jam made with just three ingredients, grated and diced fresh quince, sugar or honey, and lemon juice. A great addition to your breakfast or snack with a cracker and some cheese. Perrrrfection!

Course Appetizer, Dessert, Jams, Preserves, Side Dish

Cuisine Eastern Europe, Ramona's Cuisine

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 42kcal

Author Ramona Sebastian

Cost £5

Equipment

pot (double base)
wooden spoon
jars
knife
chopping board
grater (optional)

Ingredients

1 kg quince (2.2 lb) cut around the core (do not peel)
500 g cane sugar (2.5 cups) or 2 cups honey *
230 ml water (1 cup)
2 med lemons juice and rind * see recipe notes

Metric - US Imperial

Instructions

Wash, wipe, and sterilize the jars - see notes in the recipe on how to sterilize jars and the jar lids.

Make the syrup

Add the water and the sugar to a pot and boil until the liquid becomes thicker. Boil for approximately 10 min on medium/high fire. Add the lemon juice and zest (from 1 lemon) as well as the quince seeds/peeps if you choose to add them too. Cut the other lemon into slices (halves or quarters) and add to the syrup too. Reduce the fire to low.

Preparing the quince

Wash the quince and cut big chunks around the core. Chop the fruit and add to the syrup as you cut or grate the fruit. You can add the cut fruit to a bowl but you will need to be pretty swift as they do oxidate fairly fast getting a brownish flesh. You may add some lemon juice as you cut these to avoid color changing.

Making the quince jam

Once the fruit is ready and cut into small and thinner chunks, add all to the syrup, increase the heat to medium/high, and boil the jam for approximately 20-25 minutes. Stir often to make sure it does not stick and the fruit cooks evenly - it will also help you get a feel for when the jam is ready to be jarred.

Test for readiness

If you are not sure if the jam is ready or not, spoon some syrup out on a super cool plate- ideally kept in the freezer for at least 10-15 min.
Give a minute or so for the jam/syrup to get completely cool and draw a line using a spoon or your finger in the middle of the syrup patch. If the patch remains separated, your jam is ready. If it reunites - you will need to continue boiling the jam for a little longer. Keep a close eye as it will very quickly caramelize towards the end of the process.

Ladling the jam into the sterilized jars

When the jam is ready ladle this into the sterilized jars, seal, and place all jars in a corner somewhere where you will be able to cover all with a blanket. Keep covered until they have completely cooled. Store in a pantry room or cellar.

Notes

Syrup - making the water and sugar syrup and then adding the fruit will save some of the vitamins and the jam will remain a beautiful vivid color too. I used brown sugar hence the color.
Quince - you may cut the fruit ahead and add lemon juice to it to avoid oxidation
Sugar - feel free to add more sugar if you wish especially if you make big batches and you will keep it for longer than 7-8 months.
Yield - this recipe will yield approximately 6 jars of 200g or half a pint
Honey - Substitute the sugar with honey - you can add and cook at a simmer point - do not get it to boiling point - it will be a runnier jam.
Grated vs chopped - If you chop the quince (like I did) it will take a little longer but I like it this way - grated is my kid's favorite ( also a great version to use or add to cakes).
The pot - I cannot stress enough the importance of the pot size you will need to use. This must have a large/wide bottom and the fruit should only cover the bottom for about ½ an inch - in other words, make small batches according to the size of your pan. The fruit will overcook otherwise.

Nutrition