quince paste (membrillo)
🍐🤔 Like apples and pears, quinces are in season during the autumn. Did you know that ripe raw quince can keep frozen for a year? Placed pieces of unpeeled quinces in the freezer until you are ready to use them in sweet desserts and savoury dishes. Quince can do it all from pickles to jams, jellies to pies, cakes to stews and of course, the traditional Spanish quince paste called “membrillo” a naturally vegan recipe.
🌱👩🍳 Discover Grandma Sita’s yummy homemade “membrillo”, a sweet thick reddish paste made by slowly cooking down the pulp of the quince fruit with sugar to enjoy on its own, paired with savoury snacks, used as a thick spread on toast or crackers, or even as a filling for cakes and pastries!
INGREDIENTS
1 kg ripe quince
1 kg sugar
METHOD
1. Wash, core and roughly chop the quinces.
2. Place quince pieces in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Let cook until the quince pieces are soft (30-40 minutes).
3. Strain the water from the quince pieces, transfer them to a blender and make a smooth purée.
4. Measure the quince purée. Whatever amount of quince purée you have, that’s how much sugar you will need.
5. Return the quince purée to the large saucepan. Heat to medium-low. Add the sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved.
6. Cook down very slowly until the quince paste is very thick and has developed a dark orange-pink colour. Stir regularly to stop it from sticking and burning.
7. Pour the cooked quince paste into the parchment paper-lined baking pan. Allow to cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge to set into a solid block.
8. To serve, cut into squares or wedges. Store in the fridge.
👵💚 Grandma Sita’s tips:
*Ripe quinces turned from a light yellow to a golden colour and are extremely aromatic. Quince will ripen off the tree, so don’t worry if you’re a little bit early.
*Quinces often have small brown patches inside, don’t worry. It doesn’t mean your quince is bad, just get browner as an apple as the oxygen gets to it.
*The skin is edible when cooked, so peeling it is optional but quince seeds need to be removed before eating, seeds are toxic in sufficient quantities.
*Quinces store very well if kept in cool and dry conditions and can keep for a month or two. They have a strong aroma, so it is best to store them away from other fruits.
📗The term marmalade, originally meaning a quince jam, derives from “marmelo”, the Portuguese word for quince fruit.
♻️ Some traditional autumn plant-based treats like delicious fruit jams, marmalades or compotes are perfect zero-waste ways to cook seasonal ripe fruits. All of us can act at home to reduce our waste and every single one counts. This autumn make plant-based fruit treats, not waste!
🍂🌎 Eating local and seasonal fruits and vegetables helps to reduce food waste, saves resources, improves food quality and healthy habits, and boosts the local economy.