Quince Cheese Recipe – Using the Pulp From Jelly
How to Use Quince Jelly Leftovers to Make a Fruit Cheese
Oct 25, 2009
Quince cheese is an old country way of making the most of the fruit pulp left over after cooking quince jelly. Other fruits which are suitable for making into cheeses are generally those from which jelly is made and include apples, damsons and blackcurrants. To clarify the terminology, in the UK, a jam is a preserve with the fruit pulp included in it. A jelly is made using simply the strained juice from cooked fruits.
Use and Storage of Quince Cheese
Quince cheese, as with all fruit cheeses, has a fairly short shelf life and should be eaten within four of five months of being made. However, it’s best left to mature for a couple of months before eating so is an ideal preserve to make in October when it will be in its prime as an accompaniment to cold cuts from the leftovers of the Christmas turkey.
As well as being an ideal condiment to serve with the Christmas turkey, quince cheese also goes extraordinarily well hot roast meats such as pork, duck and game. It’s also delicious served with a mature English cheddar or Stilton cheese with cream crackers and other savoury biscuits or hot buttered toast as a light snack.
As with this recipe for quince jelly, the quantities of the ingredients depend on the amount of sieved pulp obtained after the first stage of processing but generally, about ¾ lb of sugar to 1lb of fruit pulp should be used. The cheese should be potted up into small jars and stored in a cool dark place. To serve, turn the cheese out of its pot and cut into slices.
Quince Cheese Recipe
Ingredients:
- Quince pulp leftover from making quince jelly
- Sugar
Method:
- Take the leftover pulp from the quince jelly recipe and, using a wooden spoon (the fruit might discolour if a metal spoon is used), press it through a fine sieve. This allows the harder bits of skin and the pips to be removed from the pulp
- Weigh the resulting fine pulp and then put it in a saucepan along with sugar in the ratio described above
- Bring to the boil, stirring to prevent the sugar burning, and then simmer gently until the mixture is nicely thickened, stirring occasionally – this can take a couple of hours depending on the amount of pulp used
- When the cheese has thickened, sterilise some small jars by washing them well in hot, soapy water, rinsing them and putting them in a low oven for a few minutes until they are warmed through
- Lightly oil the jars with olive oil or glycerine then divide the quince cheese amongst them
- Seal the jars and store as described above. Once opened, they should be kept in the fridge and used within three days.
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