Orchard Quince Jam

 Petite Dejeuner

This fall,

 we've been enjoying the fruits of my labor...

thanks to my new French jam book

Mes Confitures
by Christine Ferber.

 Marmelo

Christine says it best

in her jam book's introduction...

"With time and practice, you will refine your own technique."

She says, "Remind yourself that no two jams are ever the same. 

From one year to another,

one batch to another, a little thinner, a little thicker, each is different."

So recently, I made my first batch of her

Andree's Orchard Jam and it turned out quite thick,

probably from over cooking. 

It seemed more like marmalade than jam to me.

Well, no wonder...

I did a little research and it turns out the term "marmalade"

originally meant quince jam

and derives from the Portuguese word "marmelo"

which means quince.

No worries,

I turned my very thick marmelo

into a delicious glaze for pork tenderloin. 

Orchard Quince Jam

Batch # 2 of my Andree's Orchard Quince Jam

turned out perfect!

Since I had to cook Batch # 1 so long to soften up the quince,

I decided for Batch # 2 to pre-cook my quince for two hours

before I turned it into jam.

Pre-cooking the quince, produced wonderful results

and a very spreadable jam.

It's delicious for a "petite dejeuner"

on a croissant!

 More Quince

My husband and I love my quince jam.

Quince jam is sweet and fruity and

reminds us a bit like applesauce.

The recipe yielded a small batch

so I set out to find more quince
for fall canning.

This time I found larger quince

grown locally at another foothill farm

and decided to experiment with a few other quince recipes.

 Quince Preserves

I canned quince slices and

used Martha Stewart's recipe for

Spicy Quince Preserves

in her book

The Martha Stewart Cookbook.

We haven't tried them yet.

I'm planning to use them with

a pork tenderloin or pork roast.

Paradise Chutney

My last quince project was chutney.

When I read the recipe for Paradise Chutney

in Nigella Lawson's book

How To Be A Domestic Goddess

I knew I had to make it.

Nigella was inspired by an old recipe using

apples, quince and cranberries.

She turned the old jelly recipe into a chutney for the modern kitchen.

I love the recipe but do find it a bit tart.

The next time I make it,

I am going to use less vinegar.

The Paradise Chutney is a great accompaniment on
turkey sandwiches and
I can't wait to use it with Christmas leftovers!

So now, you have an idea where I have been the last month or so.

I've been busy in my kitchen and ,of course,

 busy knitting,too.

I still have a few pounds of quince left...

so I'm off to make more jam.

This time I am going to make Christine's

Quince Jam with Christmas Flavors!