The happy coincidence of Quince Jam

Well, well, well. Who'd think that someone nagging about sugar would dwell in the department of pastries and sweets - ahem. But never ever have I had so many quinces at my disposal. Although I reported about this harvest here, prepared this and that, in 2007 also this, and in 2006 also that, more measures were called for.

From following a recipe by Claudia Roden for Bimbriyo - in fact, quince paste, the Spanish membrilla - and making a mistake by adding the sugar before cooking, I reversed the wheel and made jam. Several used recipients and one very messy kitchen counter later, quince jam -that's jam, not jelly- became a fact (*). I started from Roden's ingredients for bimbriyo from The Book of Jewish Cooking.

Quince Jam

2 kg quince
1 kg sugar (I used 750 g unrefined cane sugar)
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 vanilla bean pod, slit open
agar agar (as jellification agent)

Note: Roden's procedure is first cooking the fruit, then filtering the juices, that are reduced and combined with the fruit pulp and sugar to make a thick paste. My description deviates.

Rub the quince clean with a vegetable brush, cut them into four pieces. Add them to a heavy pan, add water until they are immersed, add the sugar, vanilla, and the lemon juice, and boil gently for 2 hours.

Get out the vegetable mill, and purée this mixture with the sieve with medium holes. Repeat this gesture with the sieve with the smallest holes.

Add the remaining mixture to a new pan. Add agar agar (*), and bring to a brief boil.

Sterilize glass containers with boiling water.

Ladle the jam in the sterilized glass, tighten lids, and put the containers on their heads, to seal the jam.

(*) Usually with jam, refined sugar is added during the second brief boil, and it will act as a jellifying agent. As I found the mixture already sweet enough, no extra sugar, but two generous tablespoons of agar agar. I hoped the jam would jellify enough - it did not quite in all places, but I used less sugar, did not measure my quantity of jam, nor the agar agar I'd need. My result was jam-compote. Great taste, though sweet for my doings.