Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen

Sweet-sour preserved lemons

A wonderful way to use lemons in winter…in soups, chicken tagines, lamb tagines, stews, ragouts, oven-bakes dishes, sambals. I also use the skin, finely chopped in salads. Not too mention how beautiful it looks in the pantry, or on a buffet or kitchen dresser..

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  • About 10 lemons, organic if possible, depending on the size of your jar
  • 400 ml sugar
  • 125 ml coarse salt
  • 1 tablespoon of turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon of chilli powder(optional)
  • fresh lemon leaves
  1. Wash the lemons well under running water and cut them into quarters.
  2. Mix the salt, sugar, chilli powder and turmeric together and roll the quarters in the mixture until well covered.
  3. Layer the lemon quarters is a sterilized jar and sprinkle each layer liberally with the sugar mixture.
  4. Add the lemon leaves and fill the jar with the lemon quarters and sugar mixture until full.
  5. Store in a cool and dark place, turning the jar upside down every day. Store for about a month before using.
  6. The lemon juice and sugar mixture will eventually form a brine.
  7. If preferred, you can omit the sugar and spices, keep the lemons whole, prick them with a fork and layer the whole lemons with the coarse salt.

Recipe adapted from Rainbow Cuisine by Lannice Snyman.

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This is an entry for A spoonful of Christmas, hosted by Zlamushka from Zlamushka’s spicy kitchen.

Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen

Baked quince preserve

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This preserve can be made on the stove, but I prefer doing it in the oven. The edges of the quince get slightly charred which give them an attractive appearance and adds to the flavor. It can be served with game meat, pork, foie gras, duck…in fact, it is wonderful as an accompaniment with any red meat. It can also be served as a dessert with a dollop of crème fraîche or ice cream. I enjoy it slightly heated up. It goes well with cheese and as a friend Fanta, suggested, wonderful with a cured Manchego cheese.

I don’t peel the quince, nor do I take out the seeds. They are loaded with natural pectin and I  like the appearance with the seeds left in. It also suits our rustic lifestyle, where the rythm of the vineyards and the untamed flow of the Loire and our love of the countryside colour the food we put on our table. If you want your quince to have a nice red colour, cut the slices already the previous evening, put in your pan and cover and add the rest of the ingredients the next day.

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  • About 5 to 6 big quince, well rinsed and dried
  • 5 sterilized preserve bottles(500 ml volume)
  • 500 ml water
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 5 star anis
  • 7-8 cloves
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • zest and juice of a lemon
  • a few fresh rosemary leaves
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
  2. Cut the quince, unpeeled into slices about 8 mm thick.
  3. Place the slices in a large oven pan.
  4. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and the zest.
  5. Add the star anis, cinnamon sticks and cloves.
  6. Pour over the sugar and water.
  7. Tuck in the rosemary branches.
  8. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until the quince is soft.
  9. Remove from the oven and layer in hot, dry, sterilized bottles. Decorate with some rosemary and a star anis. Fill with the syrup and close the jars tight.
  10. Store in a dark, cool spot.

This is an entry for WHB, hosted this week by Susan from The well seasoned cook. See Kalyn’s kitchen for more information on WHB.

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