Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Quinces, Preserved. — Take some quinces, cut them into small pieces, and boil them in a quart of water, to which one spoonful of salt and the same quantity of honey has been added, until the water tastes strongly of quinces ; then add a quart of white wine vinegar. Now lay the quinces it is wished to preserve at the bottom of an earthenware jar, and pour the above liquor over them. Put into jars, and cover closely. Quinces, Preserved (another way). — Soak the quinces before they are quite ripe in salt and water for twenty-foiu- hours. Then take them out, dip them in a hot pickle of white wine vinegar, salt, mace, cloves, and bay-leaves boiled together, and then preserve them in a stone jar, covered with vinegar. Quinces, Preserved Whole. — Pare some ripe quinces, and scoop out the cores without opening the fruit. Put them into boiling water, and let them simmer gently until they are tender without being broken. Drain them, put them aside to cool, and boil the liquor with a pound of sugar for every pound of fruit ; pour it over the quinces, and let them remain until the next day. Add to the syrup as much apple jelly as will cover the fruit. Dissolve it with the sjTup, and put the quinces into it. Let them boil quickly until they look clear, then put them into glasses. Put a small portion of the liquor upon a plate, and if it will jelly when cold, it is ready for pouring over the fruit ; if not, it must be boiled until it will do so. If no apple jelly is at hand, it may be made as follows : — Take some fine golden pippins or small crab apples, rub them with a soft cloth, and put them, without paring them, into a preserving-pan, with as much water as will barely cover them. Let them simmer gently until the fruit is quite soft. Strain the juice through a jelly-bag, two or three times if necessary, until it is quite clear, and boil it, with a pound of sugar for every pint of liquor, until it will jelly when a little is put upon a plate, it is then ready for use. If liked, quince juice may be used instead of apple jelly to cover the fruit. To make this, cut up some small quinces without coring or paring them, and boil them in as much water as will cover them until the liquor is strongly flavoured with them. Strain the juice, and boil it, with a pound of sugar to each pint, until it will jelly. If when the quinces are being boiled in the jelly they seem likely to break, they must be lifted one by one carefully out of the sjTup, put into a jar, and the s\Tup poured over them, then boiled again the next day. Time, two or three days. Quinces, Ratafia of (a French recipe).— Grate rij^e quinces till you come to the core, but be careful there are no pips. Let the mass remain for three days in an earthen pan : squeeze it to extract all the juice ; measure it, and QUI ( 682 ) BAB add to it an equal quantity of brandy. Allow six ounces of sugar to each quart of the mixture, with some cinnamon and cloves to taste. Let it infuse for two months, then filter it, and pour it into bottles. This liqueur, when old, is excellent.—^i. Von Kochheim.