The Australian Women’s Weekly — August 2017

152 FOODTOLOVE.COM.AUAUGUST 2017

Chunky quince, rosè and

vanilla preserve

MAKES7 CUPS PREP AND COOK TIME8 HOURS

2kg quince

2 cups (500ml) rosé wine

1 vanilla bean, split lengthways, seeds

scraped

1 cinnamon stick

6 cups (1.3kg) white sugar, approximately

½ cup (125ml) lemon juice

1 Peel, quarter and core quinces; reserve

cores. Tie reserved cores in muslin. Chop

quince coarsely.

2 Combine quince, muslin bag, wine,

vanilla bean and seeds, and cinnamon

in a 4.5-litre (18-cup) slow cooker; stir to

combine. Cook, covered, on High, for

6 hours, stirring occasionally for even

cooking, or until quince is tender and

ruby-coloured. Discard muslin bag,

vanilla bean and cinnamon.

3 Measure fruit mixture; allow 1 cup sugar

for each cup of fruit mixture. Return the

quince mixture and sugar to cooker; add

the juice. Increase heat to Reduce on

High (see Test Kitchen tip, previous page);

boil, stirring frequently, for 1 hour or until

Pickled beetroot
MAKES5 CUPSPREP AND COOK TIME4 HOURS
20 MINUTES

750g trimmed beetroot, peeled, cut
into wedges
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 sprigs fresh thyme, plus extra thyme
leaves, to serve
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
1¼ cups (310ml) white wine vinegar
1¼ cups (310ml) water

1 Place beetroot, garlic, thyme, rosemary,
mustard seeds and fennel seeds in a
4.5-litre (18-cup) slow cooker. Cook,
covered, on High, for 4 hours.
2 Just before the beetroot is ready, place
the sugar, vinegar and the water in a
small saucepan over medium heat;
cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until
thesugardissolves.
3 Discard the thyme and rosemary. Spoon
the beetroot into hot sterilised jars (see
above, right). Pour enough hot vinegar
mixture into jars to cover beetroot; seal
immediately. Label and date jars when
cold. Serve sprinkled with extra thyme.
Serve with hot or cold roast beef, in

How to sterilise jars

The aim is to finish sterilising the jars

and lids at the same time the preserve

is ready to be bottled. Jars which

aren’t sterilised properly can cause

deterioration of the preserves during

storage. Start with washed jars and

lids, then follow one of these methods:

1.Put jars and lids through the hottest

dishwasher cycle without detergent.

2.Lie jars down in a boiler with the

lids, cover with cold water, then cover

boiler with a lid. Bring water to the

boil and boil the jars for 20 minutes.

3.Stand jars upright, without them

touching, on a woodenboard on the

lowest shelf in the oven. Turn oven

to the lowest possible temperature;

leave jars to heat for 30 minutes.

Remove jars from dishwasher or

oven with a towel, or from boiling

water with tongs and rubber-gloved

hands. Stand jars, not touching, on a

wooden board or a bench covered

with a towel. Fill the jars; secure lids

tightly. Leave at room temperature

to cool before storing.

How to jell test

Place saucers in the freezer to chill.

To test if preserve is ready, when the

mixture falls in heavy drops from the

spoon, place a teaspoon of preserve

onto a cold saucer. Freeze for a minute,

then push the mixture with your

finger – if it wrinkles, the preserve

is ready. If not, boil for 5 minutes

more before testing again.

salads and sliced on sandwiches.

Not suitable to freeze or microwave.

mixture jells when tested (see above).

4 Pour the hot quince mixture into hot

sterilised jars (see above); seal immediately.

Label and date jars when cold.

Serve with a sharp cheese and crackers

or warm scones or toast.

Not suitable to freeze or microwave.

Recipes fromThe

Australian Women’s

Weekly Slow-cooker

Comfort Food, Bauer

Books, RRP $34.99,

available where all good

books are sold and at

awwcookbooks.com.au.

Pickled beetroot