There has been a lot of interest in my earlier posts about medlars so I thought it was about time I came up with some more recipes using this unusual fruit.

I frequently get asked how to make medlar vinegar. If you don’t live in Sussex then you may find sourcing the fine flavoured vinegars (such as medlar vinegar) produced by Stratta difficult so I have posted a recipe for a simple spiced medlar vinegar below.

I’ve been toying with the idea of making a medlar tart for a while. It struck me that the consistency of bletted medlars is not dissimilar to that of pumpkin so I have taken my inspiration from America pumpkin pie. It seems particularly apt to post this recipe today as it is Thanksgiving in the USA.

If you need help in preparing your medlars take a look at my earlier post here.

Medlar Tart

Ingredients

• 320g pack ready rolled sweet short crust pastry (or make your own)
• 400g medlar puree
• 397g tin condensed milk
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 25g caster sugar
• Finely grated zest of 1 orange

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200℃.
2. Line a 22-23cm deep tart tin with the pastry. Prick the base then line the pastry case with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven (also remove the baking beans and paper) and reduce the temperature to 170℃.
3. Meanwhile prepare the filling. Mix all the remaining ingredients together in a large jug. Pour into the pre-baked case and bake for a further 40 minutes until set. Best served at room temperature or cold.

Spiced Medlar Vinegar

Makes approximately 4 x 350ml bottles

I used the pulp left over from pureeing the medlars for the recipe above. However, you can use whole bletted medlars for this recipe. Just lightly squash them before you add the remaining ingredients.

Ingredients

• 600-700g medlar pulp or the equivalent weight of whole bletted medlars
• 1 litre white wine vinegar
• 450 – 750g granulated sugar
• 2 star anise
• 4 whole cloves
• 10cm piece cinnamon stick

Method

• Steep the medlars in the vinegar for 3 to 5 days in a non metallic container. Pour the contents into a jelly bag and allow to drain. This will take several hours so leave overnight if possible. DO NOT SQUEEZE the bag to get more liquid out otherwise your vinegar will be cloudy.
• For every 600ml vinegar add 450g sugar (basically you need 75% sugar to the quantity of vinegar). Put the vinegar, sugar and spices in a saucepan. Slowly bring to the boil then simmer for around 5 minutes removing any scum that floats to the surface. Allow to cool then remove the spices and bottle. Use for salad dressings.

Other Medlar recipes you may enjoy

• Medlar, Apricot & Ginger Cake
• Medlar & Macadamia Cake
• Medlar Mincemeat