Cumquat Cordial

The original recipe for this was in ounces and pints and came from a woman who lived near us; her life was a story of resilience and hard work, intelligence and cheerfulness. As time passes and I learn more about life's challenges, I find her even more inspirational. Mrs O'C gave us recipes and conversation; challenged us to think critically but act pragmatically; loaned us boxes and boxes of books and encouraged us to believe that we could achieve whatever we set our minds toward.

As my boys made their own version of Cumquat cordial recently I thought of Mrs O'C and what a wonderful woman she is. My parents brought an enormous bag of cumquats a week ago so D helped me juice them and we made the real thing - it's tangy and sweet and a hundred times better than any commercial mix.

I've removed the sodium benzoate preservative, which means you need to store it in the fridge/freezer. The best cumquats for this are the round sourer Calomondin variety - they are also best for Cumquat jam.


~Cumquat Cordial~
2 1/2 cups cumquat juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 cups water
900g white sugar
1 teaspoon citric acid

To juice the cumquats, halve them and squeeze over a seive in a bowl. Reserve the seeds and freeze them for use in setting jam.

Heat the water and sugar in a saucepan and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Dissove the citric acid in a little hot water and stir in.

Stir in the juices while the sugar water is still warm, then bottle in sterilised bottles. Store in the fridge or freeze until needed.

Once makes almost 2 litres of cordial.

Quince Paste/ Membrillo

It's a year to the day since last posting; we've had lots of food memories with friends since then but none have made it past my folder into blogland. Running too hard with work, kids and life. But there have been exciting discoveries - sweet potato leaves are a fabulous substitute for spinach or silverbeet. Truly.

Now quince time has come again, and we are making quince paste. This recipe has evolved from combining several others and is made in the microwave - no possibility of burning. Very easy.

~Quince Paste~
quinces
white sugar

We make reasonably large amounts, so say 8 quinces and about 600g sugar. Wrap each quince in alfoil, place in a baking paper lined tray, and roast in a medium oven until they are tender. Remove and cool in the alfoil.

Unwrap quinces, peel back off the skin and work out the core and any lumpier granules around the core; discard these. Push the flesh through a seive with your hands and a large spoon, then weigh the seived quince.

Measure out half the weight of sugar, so for 1.2kg seived quince you will need 600g sugar. Stir quince and sugar together in a large microwave proof bowl (twice the volume of the quince+sugar) and cook on Medium for 10 minute bursts, stirring between each. Continue cooking until it is thick enough - when you pull a spoon across the bottom of the bowl it will leave a distinct trail.

When it is ready, spread the quince flat in a baking paper lined tray and place it somewhere to dry. We use the fan oven with the fan turned on and no or very low temperature, but have also tried a dehydrator and under glass in a sunny spot. A solar dehydrator would be perfect, or the back window of your car in the sun.

Test it to see when it is set, then store wrapped in alfoil in an airtight container.

Homemade quince paste is more granular than the commercial product, but the smell is divine and the colour deep ruby red. Perfect for autumn picnics.