Quince trees (Cydonia oblonga), of the apple or “pome” family, are native to the Caucasus mountains of Georgia, Armenia and northern Iran/Persia. The hard, sometimes fuzzy fruit is apple- or pear-shaped and the green skin becomes bright yellow when ripe. Its whitish-yellow flesh turns a beautiful ruby color when cooked. Quince fruit is high in pectin and has a unique sweet-tart, floral flavor which is perfect in preserves, jams or jellies, and quince paste. Known as dulce de membrillo in Spain, quince paste is a thick, sliceable jam, often served with Manchego cheese, a salty sheep’s milk cheese; it is delicious paired with a large variety of hard and soft cheeses.
Ingredients
- 8 cups of quince purée (see below)
- 1 cup cooking liquid
- 6–8 cups sugar (traditional recipes call for equal amounts of purée and sugar)
- Juice of 2 lemons
- Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
Instructions
Quince Purée
Wash 8–12 quince carefully to remove any fuzz. Cut the fruit into quarters and remove the core and seeds and any damaged portions of the fruit. Put the fruit in a large saucepan and add water to just cover. Simmer the fruit and water until the quince is soft. Strain the fruit, reserving the cooking liquid, and purée the cooked quince using a blender or food processor.
Quince Paste
Measure the puréed quince sauce and return to the pan along with the sugar, lemon, lemon zest and reserved cooking liquid. Bring the ingredients to a soft boil and simmer gently, stirring frequently, for approximately 1½ hours, until the sauce thickens and sticks to the spoon when lifted out of the liquid. Pour into hot sterilized jars, cover with lids and set in boiling water for 5 minutes. If serving within a few days, the paste may be poured into a flat glass dish. Paste should be cool before cutting.
About this recipe
To Serve
With a small knife, gently pry the quince paste out of the glass jar (or cut a portion from the glass pan) and onto a plate or cheese board. It will hold its shape and may be cut into slices to accompany cheese or charcuterie.
