SC - Quince Pastes

[Lee-Gwen Booth]

Unto the Gathered Cooks From Gwynydd of Culloden comes the Following
Request:

I recently saw quinces on sale at my usual fruit and vegetable merchant.  At
$1.20 kg they look like a very good buy and I would really like to try
making some nice period sweets/preserves from them (possibly even to sell at
the upcoming MidWinter Investiture).  Of course, one of my first stops in
the search for information was Stefan's Florilegium which is where I found
the following recipe.  Unfortunately, there is no redaction and (other
people's objections aside *grin*) I am not happy reacting my own recipes
yet.  Does anyone out there have a redaction?  Even pointers about
quantities of ingredients and what basic type of - seriously cheap! - red
wine I should use would be appreciated and might be enough to get me doing
this recipe.  As well, I would love any other period quince recipes people
might have

<<313. Pour Faire condoignac. Prenez les coings et les pelez. Puis
fendez par quartiers et ostez l'ueil et les pepins. Puis cuisier en
bon vin rouge et puis soient coulez parmi une estamine. Puis prenez du
miel et le faictes longuement boulir et escumer, et apres mectez vos
coings dedens et remuez tresbien, et le faictes tant boulir que le miel
se reviengne a moins la moictie. Puis gectez dedens pouldre d'ypocras
et remuez tant qu'il soit tout froit. Puis tailliez par morceaulx et
les gardez.>> (l. 3213-3221) >>

>>"To make quince pastes. Take quinces and peel them. Then cut them in
quarters and remove the eyes and the seeds. Then cook them in good red
wine and then run them through a strainer. Then take honey and boil it
a long time and skim off the scum, and afterwards put your quinces in
it and stir it very well, and boil it until the honey reduces by half.
Then add hypocras powder stir it again until it cools. Then cut it
into pieces and store it." >>

>>I'm not sure whose translation this is. Again, I'll have to ask my
wife's permission to post her redaction, which depending on exactly how
you cook it produces something ranging from jam to chewy candy to fruit
leather. We have two Zip-loc bags of them in the freezer right now
(they're very hygroscopic, i.e. if they're out in a humid place they
absorb water from the air and get REALLY STICKY). >>

Many Thanks
Gwynydd of Culloden