Saturday, December 12, 2009

Quince jelly

A little box arrived via the US mail at work for me. Inside was a jar of iridescently pale pink jelly, and a smaller jar of incredibly odoriferous dried shrimp for the cat. At home, the cat was delighted, and so was I.

Suffice it to say that Ms Zachos knows her way around the light-handed art of jelly-making. It was perfect: clear; a gentle wobble, holding its form; delicately coloured and tasting just the way a quince smells, which is heavenly.

So I made lamb, at once. Or after a couple of hours. Two shanks, slow-braised with rosemary, carrots, shallots and potato. You might think this a heavy-handed way to celebrate a light jelly, but if you were brought up with roast lamb and roast potatoes and jelly every other Sunday, it would seem perfect.

We ate up the rest this morning, on hot-off-the griddle flapjacks (or English muffins or drop scones; take your pick).

Thank you, Ellen! What a beautiful, ephemeral, delicious and precious gift. All gone now.

9 comments:

  1. My mouth is literally watering......

    Kary
    xxx

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  2. What a perfect, heavenly pink.

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  3. With appreciation like that you've earned a permanent slot on my jelly-receiving list. (Who knew there was such a list?) I'm so glad you liked it. I, too, grew up with lamb and jelly.

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  4. Roast Lamb and roast potatoes -- and jelly --mmmm. I love lamb. Mostly we had lamb chops growing up but I distinctly remember my ladylike grandmother jabbing in disgust at a roast with a carving fork and calling it bit of old mutton.

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  5. Home made gifts are the very nicest to receive, and this one looked perfect.

    That looks like a (British) buttered scone you were generously piling it on to - not a (British) dropscone though, which are more like your pancakes. (And our pancakes are more like thickish crepes....). Ah, the rich tapestry that is the English language!

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  6. If you add a couple of line breaks, some would say that this is award winning poetry:

    A little box arrived
    via the US mail at work for me.
    Inside was a jar
    of iridescently pale pink jelly,
    and a smaller jar
    of incredibly odoriferous dried shrimp
    for the cat.
    At home,
    the cat was delighted,
    and so was I

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  7. That lamb looks delicious. I've never tried quince jelly before. I'm finding that there are a lot of foods I've never tried before every time I read your blog!

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  8. I love roast lamb loaded with garlic and roasted vegetables. And jelly. I love making quince jam, but have never tried the jelly. Perhaps I shall!

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  9. Thank you everyone, and especially Ellen. And Guy, I love the poem. You can be my editor anytime!

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