It’s the end of quince season here in Brooklyn – so here is a recipe for an easy quince jam. I didn’t bother with any canning stuff (i.e., sterilizing jars, etc.) because I figured the jam would get eaten pretty quickly. But if you want to give as a holiday gift, you should bother to sterilize your jars – much better to get a jam present without mold growing in it.

Originally, I wanted to use my quinces to make membrillo (Spanish quince paste), but I sort of winged the recipe…which apparently wasn’t such a good idea, as the mixture didn’t set as as firmly as membrillo should. So, voilà! Quince jam instead. Ripening quince give off the most amazing fragrance (someone should bottle the stuff and sell as a perfume). You’ll know that they are ripe by the aforementioned smell and because they turn a little yellow-y gold. (Keep in mind that you can’t eat quince out of hand – they need to be cooked.)

Special Equipment: a large saucepan, food processor, canning jars
Makes about 3 cups of jam

Organic quince ready to be made into jam

Quince Jam

Ingredients:

5-6 ripe quince (about 7 cups) rinsed to remove fuzz, peeled, cored, and sliced thinly
Water to cover
4 cups sugar (or more, depending on how much purée you make)
1/2 vanilla bean, split, or 1 rosemary sprig (optional)

Procedure:

1. In a large saucepan, just barely cover the quince and optional vanilla bean (or rosemary sprig) with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a bare simmer.
2. Cook quince mixture until the quince are very soft, about 45 minutes. (You may have to replenish the water from time to time.)
3. Remove the vanilla bean. Cool slightly, then puree the quince in a food processor with one cup of the poaching liquid. You should have about 4 cups of puree.
4. Rinse the pot you used to poach the quince. Add the quince puree and the sugar (if you have more than 4 cups of puree, add the equivalent amount of sugar – you want equal amounts of sugar and puree). Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes.
5. Return the pot to the medium heat. Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to low (the mixture should be just barely bubbling). Cook on low heat until the mixture is somewhat translucent, shiny, and very thick, about 30 minutes.