Quince membrillo or quince paste, is popularly known in Spain as Dulce de membrillo and it is one of their national snacks which is often enjoyed with cheese made from sheep milk, known as Manchego.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds of quince
- 1 vanilla pod
- 2 strips of lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
- About 4 cups of granulated sugar.
Method
- Wash, peel, core and chop your quince.
- Boil the quince in a large sauce pan filled with water and the vanilla pod and lemon zest.
- Cook till the quince pieces are fork tender.
- Strain the water from the quince pieces and place in a food processor or blender with only the lemon zest and blend to make a purée.
- Measure the quince purée. The amount of quince puree determines the quantity of sugar to be used. Thus, 4 cups of purée equal 4 cups of sugar.
- Add the sugar and place the puree back on fire under medium heat and stir until the sugar completely dissolves.
- Add the lemon juice after the sugar has dissolved and continue to cook under low heat, stirring occasionally for 1 to 1 and half hours until the quince paste is very thick and has a deep orange/ pink colour.
- Preheat oven to a low 125 degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper .
- Grease the parchment paper with a thin coating of butter and pour the cooked quince paste into it.
- Smooth out the top of the paste to even it out.
- Keep paste in the oven for an hour to help it dry out.
- Remove from oven and let it cool.
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