Quince Paste

duonyte's Note:

Quince paste is similar to a fruit leather, only a bit thicker. It's traditionally served in Spain with a slice of manchego cheese. I like this method of preparation, which I find easier than peeling and coring prior to cooking. I've modified this a bit from the original, found on epicurious.com . Prep time does not include chilling.

• Total Time: 3 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 18

Yield: 2.25 lbs.

• 4 medium quinces , about 2 lbs. total
• ¼-½ cup water
• 2 -3 cups sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. and line a baking dish with foil.
2. Scrub fuzz off the quinces and pat dry. Place in pan, cover with foil, and roast until tender, about 2 hours Transfer pan to rack. When quices are cool enough to handle, peel, quarter and core them. (A melon baller is very useful for coring, and I find that you can scoop the flesh with a spoon).
3. Puree pulp in food processor with as little water as possible until smooth. Force through a large fine sieve into a liquid cup measure and measure amount of puree. Transfer to a 3-qt. heavy saucepan and add an equivalent amount of sugar.
4. Cook quice puree over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until it is thickened and begins to pull away from side of pan, about 25 minutes. Pour into a lightly oiled 1 quart terrine, smoothing top with an offset spatula, and cool. (Alternatively, pour onto a lightly oiled cookie pan and spread out to about 1/4 inches thickness and let cool).
5. Chill puree in terrine until set, about 4 hours. Puree in cookie pan will set without chilling. Remove from pan.
6. Quince paste keeps, wrapped well in wax paper and then plastic wrap and chilled, for 3 months.
7. Slice paste and serve with cheese and crackers.

Reviews

[Chef #943989]

Seems foolproof, and I like the idea of baking the quinces as a convenient method. I have been peeling & coring them then 4 sliced into a lidded casserole without water but a little sugar into the microwave for 4+4 minutes (stir/turn fruit at the mid point & add a little more sugar if necessary). Then put them in a pot on a low heat and stir sparingly until the colour develops to a ruby - a pulp develops in the process.* Cool to a point where the pulp can be sieved then return to the pot if necessary to thicken a little more (care with stirring pulp when hot as superheated steam can erupt the brew and cause severe burns). Turn out into a shallow (foil) tray, cool, and place in fridge to dessicate (top dries out). Eventually you can turn the slab out and put it back into the tray to dry the other side, and with subsequent kneeding/drying/kneeding/drying one ends up with a ball or a log that is very firm but sliceable and will keep (ideally cool) for as long as you hold the vultures at bay! Wizards1 * I have been boiling the skins with a little sugar & water then back-blending the somewhat astringent "water" into the pre-cooked fruit. Cardamom seeds can be added if you feel you have "overdone" the back-blend as they compliment and turn the flavour to advantage.

[mummamills]

What a great idea to save time and effort! I am giving this 5 stars, because it is the same as my recipe, though I have always done the peeling and stirring and watching etc, and because of the extra water needed to cook the quince, it takes much longer to "set". this sounds like a great technique, which I will adopting!! I love this with Brie!