Sweet with
an amazing floral fragrance. Quince fruit paste is thick enough (and firm
enough) to cut into wedges, thinly sliced or cut into shapes with cookie
cutters, which look wonderful on a fruit/cheese platter. You can also make
membrillo as a thick spread to bottle in jars if you prefer. Serve with meat,
firm white cheese i.e. Spanish Manchego and crackers, in sandwiches or toast
(with cream cheese or soft cheese), spread on/in cakes or stuffed into
pastries. Sliced pieces of quince fruit paste can also be dehydrated, then rolled
in sugar to be eaten as a sweet treat.
|
Ingredients for QUINCE FRUIT PASTE
|
||
|
|
Yield: 7-8 cups
|
Yield: 14-15 cups
|
|
Quince
|
2.5kg (5 1/2 pounds)
|
5kg (11 pounds)
|
|
Water
|
2 1/2 cups
|
5 cups
|
|
Lemon Juice
|
1/3 cup
|
2/3 cup
|
|
Sugar
|
around 1kg (2.2 pounds)
|
around 2kg (4 1/2 pounds)
|
METHOD:
2. Pour lemon juice and water into a bowl.
3. Wash, peel, core and dice quince. Place
prepared quince pieces into the lemon water as they are prepared.
4. Place quince (including lemon water) into a large pot/pan (or
slow-cooker). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook (uncovered)
for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until quince are soft and easily
sliced with a spoon or knife. They’re usually a rose pink hue by this stage. Remove
from heat. Drain liquid to reserve for jelly-making, if desired (see Notes section below). Puree quince, including liquid (if using) to a smooth consistency.
If using a
slow-cooker, have lid open slightly and puree once the quince are soft and
their colour has changed to rose pink.
5. Measure quince puree.
6. Return quince puree to the pot/pan (or
slow-cooker) and add sugar – 3/4 to 1 cup sugar per 1 cup puree is recommended.
7. Stir over low heat until sugar has dissolved.
Colour
will change from pale white/cream to peach to a rich pink/rose colour, then
deepen to ruby red or burgundy red colour. Cook to your liking.
9. Remove quince paste from heat.
10. Pour quince paste into a dish, lined oven
tray, or bottle in jars (and process in water bath) as per one of the techniques
below:
POUR QUINCE PASTE INTO A DISH (REFRIGERATOR/FREEZER STORAGE)
This can be used for quince paste that has been cooked to
setting stage (as thick as possible).
11. Oil a heatproof dish/container/s. 12. Pour the hot quince paste into the dish/container/s.
13. Allow to cool to room temperature.
14. Refrigerate to set over 12-24 hours.
15. Remove quince paste from the dish, slice into
pieces and wrap in plastic food wrap or store in airtight containers in the
refrigerator for up to 3 months (or freeze for up to 12 months – double
wrapping for freezing is recommended).
OVEN DRYING
QUINCE PASTE (REFRIGERATOR/FREEZER STORAGE)
This
can be used for quince paste that has been cooked as much as possible, but you
want it a bit thicker – perhaps after refrigerating the quince in the dish in
the technique above, it is not as firm as you want? Or colour is not as deep
red as you want?
11. Line an ovenproof dish with baking paper. 12. Pour the quince paste into the dish.
13. Dry on low heat
(i.e. 100°C/212°F) for a few hours in the oven, until dried to your liking.
14. Remove tray from oven and allow to cool to
room temperature.
15. Transfer quince paste (including baking
paper) onto a plate or dish and allow membrillo to set over 12-24 hours in the
refrigerator.
16. Separate quince paste from the baking paper,
slice into pieces and wrap in plastic food wrap or store in airtight containers
in the refrigerator for up to 3 months (or freeze for up to 12 months – double
wrapping for freezing is recommended).
BOTTLING/CANNING QUINCE PASTE (PANTRY STORAGE)
This
can be used for quince paste that is a thinner (pouring/spooning) consistency
than the two methods mentioned above. If the
fruit paste is too thick, add a little bit of fruit juice (i.e. apple juice or
lemon juice) to the quince paste and heat until hot.
11. Clean jars (or bottles) and
equipment by washing in hot soapy water and rinsing well before use.
12. Prepare jars (if they require
pre-heating, i.e. twist top jars) in a pot lined with a clot
h. Cover jars with water and bring to a boil, boiling for 10 minutes.
Once the time is up, turn the heat off and leave jars in the hot water until
ready to fill.
13. Place lids into a bowl. Cover with boiling water. Remove the lids
from the water when you are ready to place them onto the jars to
seal.
14. Remove jars from hot water and place onto a heatproof surface i.e.
tea towel. Pour the hot quince paste into the hot jars to 0.5cm (1/4 inch) from
the rim.
15.
Wipe jar rims with a clean, damp cloth to remove any fruit paste residue.
16. Remove lids from hot water and seal jars i.e. twist to secure
“fingertip tight”.
17. Return jars of fruit paste into the pot of boiling water and boil for
the processing time stated below. Start the timer once the water comes back to
a full boil.
18. Turn off the heat source once the time is up. Remove jars from hot
water after 5 more minutes. Cool jars overnight on a heatproof surface i.e.
wooden board or towel. Do not adjust lids during this time.
19. The next day, check jars have sealed before labelling and dating
clearly.
20. Store jars of quince fruit paste in a cool, dark and dry place (i.e.
pantry) for up to 12 months. Jar lids should remain tightly sealed during
storage, and not flex up or down when pressed (which indicates jar seal
failure, do not consume).
21. Refrigerate jars upon opening and consume contents within 6-8 weeks.
|
Processing
Time for QUINCE FRUIT PASTE
in a Boiling Water Canner
|
||||
|
Jar
Size
|
Altitude
≤ 1,000 feet
|
Altitude
1,001 - 6,000
feet
|
Altitude
> 6,000
feet
|
|
|
Hot Pack
|
≤ 1 Litre (quart)
|
15 minutes
|
20 minutes
|
25 minutes
|
FLAVOUR
IDEAS:
Choose
one of the following flavour options:
o Replace all or part of the cooking
water with 100% apple juice, pear juice or white wine (i.e. Riesling);
o Spices: add 1-2 teaspoons of dried
cinnamon, ginger or vanilla;
o Add 1/4 cup local honey
o Add 1/4 cup maple syrup.
NOTES:
o Smell your
quince before beginning this recipe! They should be very aromatic, with a
floral fragrance – if not, leave at room temperature and check again in a few
days. Freshly picked quince might take a week or two.
o Quince require cooking prior to eating. They are very hard, requiring washing and peeling is recommended to remove the fuzzy skin and cores prior to cooking.
o Quince colour change during cooking is fascinating: they change from a pale honey colour to peach, then a rich red/burgundy colour. Membrillo can be peach to burgundy in colour – the deeper the colour, generally the thicker the quince paste (depending on the pectin content and cooking temperature/time).
o If at any point the quince sticks/burns on the base of the pot/pan, do not stir. Transfer to a new, clean pot and continue cooking.
o An oven is not recommended for reducing the quince puree - just use the oven for finishing quince paste at the end if you wish. The dry heat of the oven forms a seal on the outside of the quince paste, preventing excess moisture from escaping.
o Low-sugar option: 1/2 cup sugar per 1 cup quince puree is the minimum we recommend to achieve a setting point.
o No-sugar option: not recommended for this recipe (sugar is required for the texture/consistency).
o Honey or maple syrup can be used instead of sugar, start with a 1/3 to half of the sugar quantity, using honey or maple syrup instead. As these sweeteners turn into liquid when heat is applied, longer cooking may be required to achieve the desired consistency.
o The cooking liquid from simmering the quince (step 4) can be removed for making quince jelly. Strain the softened quince (no pressing) through a fine mesh sieve/colander or cheesecloth-lined colander to separate the juice from the fruit pulp. Then continue with the pulp, adding sugar as per step 5 onwards.
o Firm quince
paste can be cut before serving. Cut into slices, wedges or use cookie cutters.
We don’t recommend cutting into shapes with cutters before serving, as they
would allow air to be present when wrapped for storage (wedges, squares,
rectangles etc are suitable for wrapping/storage).Author:
Megan Radaich
Image Credit: Megan
Radaich
Publication: www.foodpreserving.org