The Quinces are ripening again - apart from making lots of Ratatia (Italian Quince liquer which is a piece of cake and fabulous) - any good suggestions what else Ic an do with them?

willyow - 2014-02-26 09:36:00

Quince jam, jelly, paste are all great. Plus you can peel, core and slice like an apple, blanch and freeze for use later on. These are the great in cakes and puddings.I have 4 trees laden with fruit!

gayle6 - 2014-02-26 09:40:00

Ohh yum Quinces. Jam, jelly and stewed for brekkie or use in crumbles, fruit sponge or I stew and use in muffins or cakes.

cgvl - 2014-02-26 13:14:00

I would really appreciate your recipe for the quince liquer please :D

tinkyandted - 2014-02-26 14:18:00

If you google you will find quite a few recipes with minor variations.
All you need is two big sized or three medium quinces that you wash and grate completely or slice finely, so including the skin, the fruit and the core (some recipes say no core). Put the grated/sliced quinces in a glass jar and add 250 grams of caster sugar, the peel of a lemon, 1/2 a cinnamon stick, two cloves, two star anise and a sprinkle of mace. Cover this mixture with the purest vodka you can find, or use a good rum if you prefer to do so, close the jar tightly and leave for two to three months in a safe spot.
Your patience will be rewarded! All you have to do is strain the mixture and bottle the liqueur and you can drink it straight away. Best served chilled.

gayle6 - 2014-02-26 19:22:00

Ratatia Italian Liqeuer
Take 2 large quinces. Rub the grey down off them with a cloth, rinse and grate them, peel and core included. Put into a 1 large bottling jar. Pour in granulated sugar to come about a third of the way up the bottle, add 1/4 teaspoon each cinnamon, ginger and mace, then fill the bottling jar with vodka. Seal tight. Leave for 2-3 months and strain off and bottle - it just gets better and better

willyow - 2014-02-26 21:33:00

It's RATAFIA not ratatia.

jynx66 - 2014-02-27 23:23:00

typo

willyow - 2014-02-28 18:33:00

Ratafia Italian Liqeuer
Take 2 large quinces. Rub the grey down off them with a cloth, rinse and grate them, peel and core included. Put into a 1 large bottling jar. Pour in granulated sugar to come about a third of the way up the bottle, add 1/4 teaspoon each cinnamon, ginger and mace, then fill the bottling jar with vodka. Seal tight. Leave for 2-3 months and strain off and bottle - it just gets better and better

willyow - 2014-02-28 19:58:00

Have you tried quince paste on a cracker with a piece of blue cheese? Mmmmm yummy!

macandrosie - 2014-02-28 20:22:00

Now have several large jars of quince ratafia maturing in the cupboard along with some limoncello ( with the not-so-secret magic ingredient -vanilla pod - added) - all made with my homemade ethyl alcohol ( yes, it is legal to own a Still in New Zealand - what a great country we live in! Just about everywhere else it's illegal because greedy governments are terrified someone won't pay excise tax). Replaced the mace in the ratafia with cloves as Mace seems a bit hard to find these days - not sure why. Went to three different supermarket brands and none had it. But a lot of recipes use cloves so I'm sure it'll be OK. Makes great Xmas gifts for friends..... if there's any left!

Edited by willyow at 5:23 am, Sun 16 Mar

willyow - 2014-03-16 05:22:00

I've made three batches of Alexa Johnston's Quince Chutney (from her preserves book) and it is beautiful.

davidt4 - 2014-03-16 08:57:00

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elliehen - 2014-03-16 12:00:00

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elliehen - 2014-03-16 12:02:00

If in Auckland anytime willyow :
http://nomnompanda.blogspot.co.nz/p/where-in-auckland-can-i-
buy.html

linette1 - 2014-03-16 13:03:00

I needed some Mace a while ago, and managed to get it from:
http://www.thespicetrader.co.nz/

You'll find any hard-to-find spice there!

Edited by carlosjackal at 4:12 pm, Sun 16 Mar

carlosjackal - 2014-03-16 16:12:00

Anyone near Whitford there looks to be a wild quince on side of Whitford Park Road just past the riding school on the right going up the hill - any scrumpers should be careful as it's a dangerous piece of road. I noticed it on the way to the Clevedon Farmers market.

Edited by toadfish at 5:09 pm, Sun 16 Mar

toadfish - 2014-03-16 17:06:00

Willyow would you be kind enough to share your limoncello recipe please l am keen to try and make some

griffo4 - 2014-03-16 19:18:00

davidt4 wrote:

I've made three batches of Alexa Johnston's Quince Chutney (from her preserves book) and it is beautiful.

Hi davidt4 ... would you please share the recipe?
I have discovered a quince tree in the neighbourhood and have been searching for a chutney recipe where the quince flavour/aroma still shines through.

winnie231 - 2014-03-27 16:47:00

Here's a link to the original recipe from Kelda Hains, whom Alexa credits in her book.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/collections/recipes/spiced-quince-c
hutney

davidt4 - 2014-03-27 17:03:00

Thank you.

winnie231 - 2014-03-27 17:15:00

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elliehen - 2014-03-27 19:16:00

wipe quinces cut in half place cut side down in baking dish\ dissolve 3cups sugar in 2cups water cover the dish with lid or tin foil.cook for 3hrs in the oven very slow oven and enjoy the slow roasted quince and juice just wonderful

ritebuy - 2014-04-01 14:11:00

Quince paste??? Anyone got an easy recipe?

niffer13 - 2014-04-01 20:12:00

The member deleted this message.

elliehen - 2014-04-01 21:31:00

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elliehen - 2014-04-01 21:35:00

The member deleted this message.

elliehen - 2014-04-01 21:37:00

Interesting link - uses quinces with medlars

http://www.britishlarder.co.uk/medlar-and-quince-jelly-quinc
e-curd-and-garibaldi-biscuits/#axzz30kh03Hxw

bev00 - 2014-05-05 01:14:00

[ Replaced the mace in the ratafia with cloves as Mace seems a bit hard to find these days - not sure why. Went to three different supermarket brands and none had it. But a lot of recipes use cloves so I'm sure it'll be OK. Makes great Xmas gifts for friends..... if there's any left![/quote]

Mace is available from our Masterton Bin Inn, I imagine all Bin Inns have ground Mace. Try them and see.

Edited by allspices at 2:14 pm, Sat 4 Apr

allspices - 2015-04-04 14:14:00

bumping for me to hopefully remember to write down these recipes!

darlingmole - 2015-04-04 20:25:00

None here in Taranaki.

vomo2 - 2015-04-04 21:59:00

made the quince jelly a few days ago and put down some Ratafia this morning. only had 14 fruit on the tree this year, looking forward to many, many years to come.

gbking - 2015-04-05 17:52:00

bump for quinces

uli - 2016-04-01 18:11:00

uli wrote:

bump for quinces

Thanks for bumping this thread uli ... I have been hunting for Mace & carlosjackal has given the nod as to where to buy it

samanya - 2016-04-01 18:34:00

I just buy it at Pak'n'save in a little cardboard box.

uli - 2016-04-04 17:38:00

uli wrote:

I just buy it at Pak'n'save in a little cardboard box.

My local P & S doesn't seem to stock it ...looked again today. Countdown doesn't either ...will try NW.

samanya - 2016-04-04 18:26:00

Anyone have any idea how to make really smooth quince paste. Mine always ends up a little thick and grainy.

gennie - 2016-04-05 16:08:00

Just by way of interest, mace is the outside of a nutmeg...the nut part. So if you can get nutmeg still in the nut, grate the outside and you will have mace.

ardnas15 - 2016-04-05 16:54:00

willyow wrote:

The Quinces are ripening again - apart from making lots of Ratatia (Italian Quince liquer which is a piece of cake and fabulous) - any good suggestions what else Ic an do with them?

How do I know when my quinces are ready to use? Ripe doesnt seem the right word, because you cant taste them...but I def would like to try the ratafia making.

Edited by ardnas15 at 5:01 pm, Tue 5 Apr

ardnas15 - 2016-04-05 17:00:00

gennie wrote:

Anyone have any idea how to make really smooth quince paste. Mine always ends up a little thick and grainy.

Yes i know :)

If you boil the quinces first then put through a sieve or food processor the paste will be very smooth.

If you do it like me and mince the raw fruit in a mincer then you have a "grainy" end result - which I personally prefer.

uli - 2016-04-05 19:31:00

ardnas15 wrote:

Just by way of interest, mace is the outside of a nutmeg...the nut part. So if you can get nutmeg still in the nut, grate the outside and you will have mace.

You cannot buy nutmeg nuts with the mace on in NZ.

The mace is a separate part and not really connected to the nut. So if you simply grate the outside of a nut then you do not have mace but grated nutmeg.

Nutmeg is the kernel of a fruit. In the tropics the fruit are made into chutneys and jams. The mace is dried separately from the "nuts".
If you ever go to Grenada make sure you take a bus across the island and visit some of the "spice" houses.

Have a look here:
http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com/engl/Myri_fra.html

uli - 2016-04-05 19:38:00

Thank you Uli. Have a bit of a stash of quinces at the moment. Some really large slightly under ripe ones sitting in the garage and some small golden quinces. Might try some each way.

gennie - 2016-04-06 08:41:00

check this thread out gennie
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Community/MessageBoard/Messages.asp
x?id=993393&topic=13

uli - 2016-04-06 20:27:00

A microwave one I have developed:
I had 1.5 kg of quince, six small ones. I quartered them and added 1/2 c water & juice of two lemons & cooked them on high until softened. I then removed the cores & skin, much easier to do when they have softened. I put the remaining pulp into my blender then through a sieve. I measured 1 cup of sugar to one cup of pulp. I found 800ml of the mix cooked well in my 2 litre jug, about 20 minutes on high stirring regularly. It turns to a lovely ruby colour & set really quickly without additional drying in the oven. Best of all no splatters on the walls or me!

Quote
nanasee1 (105

bev00 - 2016-04-10 23:33:00

Another link worth looking at, note recipes using Quince as well under fruit.

http://www.inthekitchen.co.nz/?p=365

valentino - 2016-04-11 17:10:00

Thanks for posting that recipe bev00 & nanasee1 - that sounds super simple.
I still have some to process so might give that a try.

samanya - 2016-04-11 17:16:00

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whitehead. - 2016-04-11 20:56:00

I made rafafia this morning and had just the right amount of vodka left, thanks willyow. I had the vodka left over from when I make vanilla extract.

malcovy - 2016-04-11 21:00:00

** and another one bumped for the coming quince season...**

autumnwinds - 2017-03-26 17:23:00

and again ..

bev00 - 2018-03-26 22:45:00