Quince Spoon Sweet

One of my favourite spoon sweets is the one made with quince. The quince is not normally eaten raw as they are hard, too tart and not very pleasant. However, once cooked and sweetened it transforms into a beautiful red color, and becomes, I think, irresistible.

The spoon sweet is not the only way to eat quince of course. You can poach them with vanilla and cinnamon and serve with Greek yogurt, you can make a quince tart as you would an apple tart by simply substituting the apple with quince, quince jam, quince compote and roasted as you would apples and served with roast meats such as pork.

They are ready for eating in late autumn…I love this time of the year. You may be lucky enough to have a quince tree in your garden but, if not, the markets have plenty right now.

Here is my recipe for my much-loved spoon sweet…

• 1 kilo quince

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

• 3 cups water

• 1 kilo castor sugar

Peel and grate the quince roughly and place into a saucepan with the water and lemon. Simmer until the quince is soft and the water has almost been absorbed.

I love the rich colour the quince turns once cooked.

Pour in the sugar, combine careully and allow to stand overnight.

In the morning place back onto a low heat and simmer until the quince is cooked, translucent and the syrup has thickened. Pour into sterilized jars and allow to cool.

Store in the refrigerator.