Quince Paste Food

QUINCE PASTE

Steps:

• 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, tie the bag 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 2 1/2 pounds 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 color. 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 9x13-inch baking dish or line it with greased parchment paper. Transfer the quince paste to the baking dish, spreading it about 1 1/2-inch thick. Smooth the top and allow it to cool.
• Dry the paste on your lowest oven setting, no more than 125 degrees F (52 degrees C), for about 1 1/2 hours. Allow the quince paste to cool completely before slicing. (In Europe, 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 in the refrigerator; the color will deepen with age.

QUINCE PASTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 deg. and line a baking dish with foil.
• 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).
• 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.
• 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).
• Chill puree in terrine until set, about 4 hours. Puree in cookie pan will set without chilling. Remove from pan.
• Quince paste keeps, wrapped well in wax paper and then plastic wrap and chilled, for 3 months.
• Slice paste and serve with cheese and crackers.

QUINCE PASTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly oil a 1-quart terrine.
• Scrub quinces and pat dry. In a small roasting pan bake quinces, covered with foil, in middle of oven until tender, about 2 hours, and transfer pan to a rack. When quinces are cool enough to handle, with a sharp knife peel, quarter, and core them.
• In a food processor puree pulp with 1/4 cup water until smooth (if mixture is too thick, add remaining 1/4 cup water a little at a time, as needed). Force puree through a large fine sieve into a liquid cup measure and measure amount of puree. Transfer puree to a 3-quart heavy saucepan and add an equivalent amount of sugar.
• Cook quince puree over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until it is thickened and begins to pull away from side of pan, about 25 minutes. Pour puree into terrine, smoothing top with an offset spatula, and cool. Chill puree, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until set, about 4 hours.
• Run a thin knife around sides of terrine and invert quince paste onto a platter. (Quince paste keeps, wrapped well in wax paper and then plastic wrap and chilled, 3 months.)
• Slice paste and serve with cheese and crackers.

QUINCE PASTE

Steps:

• Wash and rub the quinces to remove any fuzz and leaves and cut them into quarters.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the quince pieces, lemon half, and water and cook over medium heat, covered, until the quince is tender, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and discard the lemon half.
• With a melon baller or spoon, scoop out the quince seeds and discard them. Pass the quince pieces and the cooking liquid through a food mill or press them through a coarse-mesh strainer. You should have 3 to 4 cups of purée.
• Put the quince purée and the sugar in a large heavy-duty saucepan or wide skillet and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture forms a thick, shiny, solid mass, 30 to 40 minutes. (Be careful as you stir because the hot mixture will sputter and pop.)
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or oil it very lightly. Spread the quince paste into a layer 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) thick on the prepared baking sheet and let cool slightly. Once cooled enough to touch, wet your hand and smooth the surface of paste, then let cool completely.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the paste into 1-inch (3-cm) squares. If the paste is sticky, dip the knife in hot water and wipe it dry between each cut.
• Serving
• Serve the quince paste by itself, or with slices of a dry, sharp cheese, such as Manchego or Cheddar.
• Storage
• Stored in a container in a cool, dry place, quince paste will keep for at least 3 months. Do not store it in a very tightly sealed container or it will become soggy. Some folks layer a bay leaf between squares of the quince paste, which gives it a unique flavor.
• Variation
• You can make APPLE PASTE by using 3 large baking apples (about 2 pounds/1 kg). Cook the quartered apples in 1 cup (250 ml) water until soft, purée them, then cook the purée down to a paste with 2 cups (400 g) sugar and 1/4 vanilla bean, split lengthwise.

HOMEMADE QUINCE PASTE (MEMBRILLO)

Steps:

• Place quince pieces in a large saucepan (6-8 quarts) and cover with water. Add the vanilla pod and lemon peel and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook until the quince pieces are fork tender (30-40 minutes).
• Strain the water from the quince pieces. Discard the vanilla pod but keep the lemon peel with the quince. Purée the quince pieces in a food processor, blender, or by using a food mill. Measure the quince purée. Measure an equal amount of granulated sugar. (If you have 4 cups of purée, you'll need 4 cups of sugar.) Return the quince purée to the large pan. Heat to medium-low. Add the sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add the lemon juice.
• Continue to cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the quince paste is very thick and has a deep orange pink color.
• Preheat oven to a low 125°F (52°C). Line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper (do not use wax paper, it will melt!). Grease the parchment paper with a thin coating of butter. Pour the cooked quince paste into the parchment paper-lined baking pan. Smooth out the top of the paste so it is even. Place in the oven for about an hour to help it dry. Remove from oven and let cool.
• To serve, cut into squares or wedges and present with Manchego cheese. To eat, take a small (1/8-inch thick) slice of the quince paste and place it on top of a (1/4-inch thick) slice of the cheese. Store by wrapping in foil or plastic wrap, and keeping in the refrigerator.