The Mighty Quince
I have a medium-sized quince tree, which is very productive. For a while, I didn't know what to do with quince until last year when I began making quince paste. The Spanish call it dulce de membrillo and feature it with manchego cheese.
As quince ripens, the skin turns from green to yellow. Quince have a grey-white fuzz, so the first thing is to give the quince a good scrubbing. Then, place the 4-5 quince in the oven to bake until they're cooked through. Once they've cooled, peel them and remove the seeds. This is somewhat tedious and messy. (Some recipes call for boiling the quince.)
Next, blend the quince in a food processor until the pulp is smooth. Remove to a saucepan, measuring equal amounts of sugar and quince puree. Cook thoroughly, a couple of hours or more. Slowly, the color of the quince mixture will begin to darken.
My wife, Nancy, put some of the liquid quince at this stage over ice cream and she thought it tasted like butterscotch. She decided to save some in a jar for future desserts.
After stovetop cooking, scoop the quince mixture into a baking dish lined with parchment paper. Warm the oven and put the dish in it. Leave it overnight or longer until it begins to turn rose-red. The idea is to let the quince dry out and harden.
Next, with a spatula, try to separate and remove squares of the mixture on to wax paper. The bottom side of the mixture will still be soft but I find that it continues to dry later on. Fold the wax paper to cover the quince paste and refrigerate. It keeps for months and I think it gets better over time. If you want to give some as a holiday gift, place the packet in a plastic bag.
To serve, scrape the paste away from the wax paper and place in a shallow bowl. Surround it with cheese and crackers and fresh fruit for a wonderful appetizer or snack. You won't want to move to the main course.
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They're also might tasty prepared just like you would an apple crumble (with some extra sugar -- quinces are a bit astringent.) An especially good recipe is Nigel Slater's quince and lemon crumble which I believe can be found via the Googles. You can also slice one thinly and add it to an apple pie for a nice change of pace.
I eat these guys raw. About once or twice per fruit, you get a curious sensation of thoracic pain and the notion that you will choke to death, but it always subsides in ten seconds or so. Also, they oxidize so fast that by the time you’ve chewed your way around one, the crater left by the first bite is brown already.
Speaking of quinces, I have two waiting in the fridge along with a big hunk of quince jelly made by my girlfriend’s mom. Yum-dee-dum.
if you cut a membrillo or quince "quince in spanish is 15", under sea water, change the taste to sweet. is delicious.
yummeh yummeh!!
living in argentina right now, I must tell you that quince is EVERYWHERE here. it's called membrillo (and if you live in the river plate, it's pronounced mhem-BREE-sho). turns out, the climate is perfect to grow here and in some places in Europe, but the quince has had a had time growing in north anmerica, so it's a real rarity to see anything quince-based.*
quince is much like the taste of strawberry once cooked, but more tangier and almost with a hint of spice. you cannot eat the fruit before cooking the ugly, lumpy fruit that is the quince, for they are poisonous.*
anyway, one of the pride and joys of the argies is pasta de friola, a tasty but not overly sweet pie smothered on top with quince jam. it's also great on top of vanilla ice cream.
there are all types of sweets made with membrillo as well, from a thick bar of very sugary, crystallized quince to the smoother, delectable jams.
absoutely one of my favorite foods.
*this is what fruit-sellers and nativs have proudly informed me.
Okay. First things first. I live in southern California and I love fruit, especially the ones we can get down here. I also am a huge fan of BB, BUT, my god quit bragging about all the awesome fruit you can get your paws on! Most people will never see a persimmon in their store, let alone EVER see a pineapple guava anywhere! And quince? Get real. Stop being a fruit nerd/snob and review some things that people can actually get their hands on.
If I got that hunk of red in a bag for x-mas, I would smile politely, thank the giver, and discreetly throw it out. It looks really gross.
#4 - Dude, I live in east-central Illinois and I can get guavas, feijoas, quinces, etc. at the local grocery store. Frankly, I'm stoked that BB's guest blogger is talking about all these funky fruits. It sure beats thinking about the economy. (There go my exotic fruits from the local grocery store...)
As for quince, I've discovered that a quick romp in the microwave (less than a minute, usually) makes these fragrant beauties quite palatable.
Any possibility that you'll write about dragonfruit? I've seen them alongside the quinces at my local Meijer and am a bit intimidated.
Fabulous! I've always wondered exactly how one goes about making membrillo. Which is, by the way, a word that has always made me giggle ever since my roommate in Granada pointed out that it sounded like a portmanteau of "membrane" and "embryo" - neither of which makes a gelatinous spread very appetizing.
Can't you just improvise with apricots? Come to think of it... the best dessert ever has got to be Bananas Foster which is sometimes even served for breakfast. Bananas simmered in butter and cinammon and amaretto liquor (or you could do grand marnier or any number of liquors you might have on hand.) Served over vanilla ice cream, you have yourself a delicious meal.
We have a quince tree in the front garden and every year my wife makes quince jelly. It looks beautiful, and the taste is extraordinary -a little tart, silky and a beguiling scent... Nom nom nom...
I bought a quince a couple of years ago because it was so intriguing and fragrant. Never knew what to do with it, but loved smelling it. Thanks for the recipe! I'm excited to try it.
I've been looking for a quince tree from which to snag some in San Francisco (they are 4 bucks a pound at Rainbow...no thanks).
My membrillo didn't turn out as red as this though, still quite tasty.
These photos are awful btw...sorry, but it's hard to tell what is what in the last two photos.
Would anyone in this thread care to comment on whether quince slices well, and whether, when sliced, it can be eaten with a runcible spoon? Would one slice the quince when raw, or after baking, or after allowing it to oxidize, or would one slice the processed quince in membrillo form?
Additionally, how does it pair with mince?
Are there particularly favorable weather, lighting, and/or geographic conditions for quince consumptions? For example, is it a good food to eat before dancing on a beach under a waxing gibbous moon?
I'm curious.
#6 - My five year old son is more adventurous than you. Kinda sad.
If you haven't had quince paste and a slice of manchego on a cracker, you need to. Soooo yummy!
#12 I think you mean #5.
I have a quince tree in my backyard. The family way of preparing the fruit is to peel it, slice it into very thin batonnets, and cook it in a saucepan with sugar and cloves and blanched almond slices until it turns that lovely red-orange colour. It's served by the spoonful on little decorative dishes with a glass of water to help moderate the sweetness.
A couple of years ago I made quince marmalade (Wikipedia: The term "marmalade", originally meaning a quince jam, derives from "marmelo," the Portuguese word for this fruit.) My cousin had a glut, so he sent me a box in the mail - the postman just loved the smell. I have half a jar left, and it's just sensational. Make it just like you make orange marmalade, with a ton of sugar etc.
Enrique @4: Most people will never see a persimmon in their store
Now hold on a minute! I live up here in the frozen Northeast, and I can find persimmons in my local supermarkets. I'm talking ordinary Brooklyn supermarkets, too, not fancy Manhattan gourmet stores.
Earlier this year I even picked up a bag of mangosteens from a Chinatown street vendor.
Make a good vanilla icecream, using real vanilla beans, then beat in a mash of cooked quince and pear. It is exquisite.
The longer you cook a quince the better its colour and texture will be. My favourite way is peeled, cut in eight and poached 3-4 hours in a light sugar syrup. Don't forget it's on the stove though - you'll need to top up the water. Serve with ice-cream or dumplings cooked in the same syrup.
My aunts makes "dulce de menbrillo" every winter season. In fact, right now i´m holding a good slice of strong manchego cheese with membrillo.
This is the flavor of Christmas in my family, and tastes great*!
*And it makes a highly energetic snack!
#7. I said PINEAPPLE guava, NOT guava. Big difference. Point made.
Hello from Germany,
I made some quice jelly as well as quince pieces a while back. My grandmother told me the recipe. The trick is not to bake the paste in the oven, but to let it dry slowly in a warm room for about 2 weeks. Then you cut them and roll them in sugar. Off you go with wonderful Christmas goodies!
Here's some photos ("Quitten" is German for Quince):
http://picasaweb.google.com/julianreischl/Quitten#
http://picasaweb.google.com/julianreischl/Quitten2#
All the picture texts are in german. Some things might look suspicious in the scond album: There was one quince that was bad inside. I cut away the flesh and threw away the core. Also, I made three kinds of jelly (marmelade) with the quince as an experiment: One with just the quince, one with ginger and one with chili. And the chili con carne you can see in one picture, that I just cooked along the way for dinner. Also, I used the dishwasher to sterilize the glasses and screwtops for the marmelade.
Lamb and quinces is a classic Moroccan dish, for those who like their quinces savory.
We have a quince tree in our garden, and ONE year it actually had quinces. We dined well. It hasn't quinced since, but we aren't sure of what to do to encourage it.
My favorite thing about quince is the historical traditions.
"In ancient Rome, bridal couples would share a quince, considered a symbol of love and fertility, on their wedding day. The custom continued into the Middle Ages."
http://www.nj.com/entertainment/dining/index.ssf/2007/10/quince_a_fall_classic.html
This degenerated to the gift of a quince upon marriage. Quince was also thought to aide in digestion when served with meat, and was often boiled down for its pectin which was then used in almost every jam recipe right up through Victorian times.
I envy the mangosteen person, I heard they didn't transport so thought I would never get to try one.
For those of you in CA, both quinces and pineapple guavas (Feijoa, Guavasteen) grow really well in wine country.
Quince are used mainly in teas, here in Korea. The raw quince is sliced thinly and then placed in a jar with sugar where it maturates for at least several days (it turns brown) or the very thinly sliced quince is put into freshly boiled water, where sugar is added. After steeping for several minutes, it is served. The fragrance is much like that of fragrant roses.
Dale:
The peelings and the seeds should not be discarded ... add them inside a gauze satchel to the boiling pulp with sugar so the pectin is released and the jam gets the body it needs to be cut in slices with the cheese.
I usually eat it together with sweet potato "jam"(made similar to this) with Gouda as i hate manchego.
Proportions (for me) are 1.5:1 jam:cheese
There is a special kind of jelly made only from the peelings and seeds that is delicious (so much so that its called Royal Jelly (jalea real)) i don't have the recipe on me but i'll ask my grrandma for it.
This was a good year for quince in central Indiana. I got several pounds from a friend, which I cooked down according to a medieval recipe, with some red wine, and added ginger and cinnnamon at the end. Delicious!
I live in Argentina and you can get these everywhere in the fall! I love them, I usually buy a box (about 10 kg / 20 pounds) and spend a whole day cooking. The most marvelous thing is you shouldn't throw a single thing away of this fruit:
First off, boil them, don't cook them in the oven, and please DON'T throw away the boiling water (I'll tell you why in a sec.). Proceed as you said in the article, BUT DON'T throw away the seeds or peels. Mix them with a bit of the boiling water and the sugar, cook for a bit, and make a wonderful jam. As for the rest of the boiling water, it is full of the quinces' pectin. So add yet more sugar and boil it down until it reduces to about half of it. Once it cools you get a sweet, transparent jelly, great for spreading over toast with cream cheese.
Enjoy!
Enrique Lesnottay @ #5:
I think you need to take a closer look around you. I was going to find Google Street View shots of some of the fruit trees I remember from biking around town as a kid (persimmon, pomegranate, feijoa, etc.), but before I got past the first persimmon tree, I found this Bay Area fruit map instead.They're out there, you just need to find them.
Here in Turkey quinces are called 'ayva' and we eat them raw or as a dessert. And yes ... keep a glass of water nearby when you eat them raw.
Here's the recipe for the dessert to try.
1. Cut the quinces in half, carve their centers and keep the seeds
2. Place them carved sides up in a big and wide pot
3. Fill the pot with cold water but don't submerge the fruits
4. Place the seeds on the fruits (these will give it a red color)
5. Cover the fruits with plenty of sugar
6. Cook on high heat till the water starts boiling, then cook on the lowest heat till the fruits get their red color (this should total about 1.5-2 hours)
7. Serve with clotted cream on top and pistachios
Finally, a product of early and big quinces means a hard and cold winter is on the way (that's what my grandma says)