In Which There are Medlars

[marjorie73]

So, those of you who follow me on twitter may remember that several weeks ago I bought some Medlars (left) becuase they seemed interesting, and then when I got home I looked them up to see how they should be cooked or eaten.

They are not very attractive fruit. Apparently they were, in medieval times, known as cats arse fruit, (and in French they are cul de chien which is no better)
And, as I learned, you can't use them stright away, but have to wait until they have "bletted" - effectively this means waiting for them to start to rot.. they go darker, and much softer.


I had some reservations, but decided to press on, having aquired the things, so they have spent the last few weeks sitting in  a paper bag in the shed, bletting away to themselves, and today I decided it was time to move on. The most common recipie seems to be for Medlar jelly, so that's what I decided to make, although you can eat them raw, or bake them, or make 'cheese' out of them.

They looked even less appetising when I cut them up: completely borwn inside, whereas the flesh is white (like an apple) before they are bletted, but I did taste one - a rather unplesant 'wooly' texture, but the taste was OK - a bit like spiced apple,.

 

The recipie I used also included apple, and was pretty straightforward - you cut up the apple and medlars and simmer in water until they go soft, then strain them overnight before boiling up the juice with some sugar and a little lemon juice.

 

I ended up wih more liquid than I'd expected (the recipie didn't specifiy, just said to use enough to cover the fruit) so I was concerned that the jelly might not set, but it does appear to be doing so.

 

I haven't tasted the jelly yet, but it looks pretty. Mine is a little cloudy, but I think that is purely aesthetic, and won't affect the taste.  It apparently goes well with game or lamb (as one might use redcurrant jelly) but I suspect it might be rather nice on toast, too. 

 

And on a cold, icy, day there are worse things to do than to fill the house with a warm, spiced-apple aroma!

Comments

[peadarog.livejournal.com]

Never even heard of the things! Cat's arse or dog's arse -- what a lovely choice...

[coraline73.livejournal.com]

Clearly they weren't thinking of the marketing issues, although looked at from the tight (wrong?) angle I can see where they got the idea...

I got these at a farm shop at Stourhead, which is owned by the National Trust - I hadn't heard of them before.

[peadarog.livejournal.com]

What? I'm not British and even I've heard of the National Trust...



OK, OK, I'm sorry!

[coraline73.livejournal.com]

I hang my head in shame.

Or I could start trying to convince you that it was the OTHER, Top Secret, National Trust that I was talking about.

[peadarog.livejournal.com]

Oh! *That* one...