Homemade quince paste
Quince is a deliciously aromatic fruit, which needs to be cooked before using. This quince paste is far superior than the shop-bought variety. Serve in place of jam or with cheese.
Ingredients
Makes: 1 (23x33cm) block
- 2kg ripe quinces
- 1.1kg caster sugar
- water to cover
Method
Prep:20min ›
Cook:3hr30min ›
Ready in:3hr50min
- Wash, peel and core the quinces, reserving the cores and peels. Coarsely chop the flesh and transfer the fruit to a large pan. Wrap the cores and peels in cheesecloth or muslin, tie with kitchen string and add it to the pan. (The peels contain most of the fruit's pectin, which contributes to the firmness of the quince paste.)
- Pour in enough water to cover the quinces and boil, half-covered, for 30 to 40 minutes or until the fruit is very soft. Remove the bag of peels and pass the quince flesh through a sieve or food mill. (For best results, don't use a food processor as it will result in too fine a texture.) You should have about 1.1kg of fruit pulp.
- Transfer the quince pulp to a saucepan and add the sugar (ideally, you should add the same amount of sugar, by weight, as the fruit pulp). Cook and stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the paste becomes very thick and has a deep orange colour. Draw the wooden spoon along the bottom of the saucepan: it should leave a trail and the quince mixture will stick to the spoon.
- Lightly grease a 23x33cm or similar sized baking dish. Transfer the quince paste to the baking dish, spreading it about 3.75cm thick. Smooth the top and allow it to cool.
- Dry the paste on your lowest oven setting, no more than 50 C / Gas 1/4, for about 1 1/2 hours. Allow the quince paste to cool completely before slicing. (Alternatively, the traditional method of drying the quince paste is to leave it in a cupboard for about 7 days. The remaining juices will continue to evaporate and render a drier paste.)
- Store quince paste in an airtight container; the colour will deepen with age.
Tip
In Provence, quince paste is often served with cheeses from the Savoy region. In Spain and Portugal, quince paste (Membrillo) is served with manchego. Serve slices of quince paste with cheese or as a breakfast spread.
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Reviews & ratings
Average global rating:
(10)
Reviews in English (8)
I have just moved to a new house, and new country, and am blessed with a number of fruit/nut trees, one being a lovely good sized quince, have tried a number of recipes and this one is the simplest I have come across and easily competes with the rest. Thank You. as an added bonus most of the local comunity do not realise the many uses of this fruit for food and as a herbal remedy, always good to bring somthing new to the table, Thank you again - 07 Oct 2008 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)
While preparing another quince recipe I discovered what a royal PITA it is to core and peel quince. So... when I looked at this recipe I decided to invert it. I halved the quinces, put them in a pot and barely covered them with water. Cooked for 40 mins or so until they were soft. Then I scooped them out with a slotted spoon and ran them through a food mill/ fruit and vege strainer aka the thing with the auger and screen that separates flesh from seeds and skins. I strained the liquid that remained and returned it to the pan and reheated it to dissolve the sugar. Remixed it all hot and was left with something the consistency of applesauce. The only thing I had to watch was that the volume of seeds can jam the auger so I had to clear it once. Huge time saver over peeling first, plus less waste. - 31 Dec 2011 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)
This was outstanding! I was so excited to see this recipe on here, because I’m crazy about quince. The first time I tried them, I thought, “Where has this fruit been all my life?!” I think I added too much water, though, during the quince cooking stage. Next time I’ll add a couple of cups to start with, and add more if needed. From 4½ pounds of whole quince, I got more than 5 lbs of quince puree! Like I said: too much water. It took a long time to cook down. I spread it into a pan and left it in a 100 degree F oven overnight (we have a “bread proof” cycle that was perfect for this). Wonderful! As good as the membrillo we had in Portugual. Perfect with crusty bread and slices of manchego cheese. It made a ton, so I'm giving away slabs as gifts to a select few! - 02 Dec 2009 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)